


You're Invited! Haikyuu Halloween Wedding of the Century

by Lady_Iwaizumi



Series: Iwaoi Stories [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Black Cats, Boys Kissing, Candy Cemetery Motel, Cat!Kageyama, Developing Relationship, Established Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Established Relationship, Fluff, Full Moons, Ghost!Nekoma, Ghosts, Halloween, Halloween Wedding, Haunted Houses, Haunting, Holidays, Horror, Hotel Transylvania aspects, Humor, Igor elements, Journalist!Oikawa, Kissing, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Month of October, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Pixie - Freeform, Rumors, Sirens, Skeletons, Slow Build, Superstition, This Is Halloween, Trick or Treating, Vampires, Walking In On Someone, Weddings, Werewolf Kyoutani Kentarou, Werewolf!Hinata, Werewolves, Witches, Yahaba Shigeru/Kyoutani Kentaro Friendship, Zombies, couples, halloween haikyuu fic, mummy - Freeform, pumpkin patches, romcom, slave!iwaizumi, vampire!oikawa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-01 05:09:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 79,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12149286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Iwaizumi/pseuds/Lady_Iwaizumi
Summary: You're invited to the long-awaited Halloween wedding of the zombies Hanamaki and Matsukawa, to take place October 31st, 2017, at the Candy Cemetery Motel; here, you will find the popular journalist Oikawa Tooru, baby werewolves befriending unfriendly black cats, and an over-worked handyman named Iwaizumi Hajime.When a certain vampire arrives weeks early for the wedding, he finds much more than he bargained for in the world of an oppressed, extremely handsome worker who may or may not "dig" this alien-loving vampire; with the Night of the Living Dead nearing, superstitions raising, werewolves running around, romances blossoming, and the Halloween wedding of a century to prepare for...what could possibly go wrong?





	1. Invitations-Oct.1st

**Author's Note:**

> A Halloween fic for my Halloween lovers...enjoy, and don't forget to stock up on nazars for the big night! (And candy too. Make sure to keep your black cat close)  
> Dates for updates:  
> -Part 1- October 1st, October 5th  
> -Part 2- October 8th, October 13th  
> -Part 3- October 15th, October 20th  
> -Part 4- October 22nd, October 26th  
> -Part 5- October 29th, October 31st  
> (ALERT: AO3 isn't known for its accurate dates of uploads, so if the updates are off date-wise, you know why)

~June 4th, 2017: 20 weeks until Halloween~

**You’re Invited!**

_to the wedding of_

_Takahiro Hanamaki & Issei Matsukawa_

 

 _Where_ : CANDY CEMETERY MOTEL

 _When_ : 10:30 PM, OCTOBER 31st, 2017

—Floors/Coffins 2-3 booked from the 29th through the 1st

_Reception to be held in motel before Trick Or Treat wedding gift competition_

RSVP!

 

**_Have a haunted Halloween…_ **

 

 

Iwaizumi Hajime looked over the wedding invitations one last time, ensuring that he wrote the correct date, location, and time; everything was in order, and now that all 247 invitations were done, hand-made by Iwaizumi with spider-web details around the edges and gothic calligraphy for the names, it was time to send them on their way—the Miya twins made it painfully clear that if even one of the invitations had incorrect information or was received late…

Well—some things were better left to the imagination.

 

You see, Iwaizumi had worked at the Candy Cemetery Motel since he was eleven-years-old; many mythical creatures and monsters alike frequented the motel on their long journeys, and for Hajime, nothing was more interesting than working around all different kinds of people going to different places, deriving from different backgrounds, having different limbs that could grow back, etc. etc. For a good thirteen years, Iwaizumi lived a peaceful life at the motel, learning from different mechanics and blacksmiths about fixing toilets, creating locks for werewolf-proof doors, and, to Iwaizumi’s cringe, cleaning up after their guests. Despite his hatred of cleaning, Hajime loved the work he did, and he especially enjoyed being around other creatures; for those first thirteen years, they had a good run. There was no judgmental people, aside from the witch maids, and the motel prospered from its Halloween-haunted theme.

Unfortunately, all of those good things came to an end when the Miya vampire twins of Inarizaki bought the Candy Cemetery Motel.

Iwaizumi was twenty-four when they took over—now at twenty-six, he could answer honestly that the past two-years had been the worst of his life, and he had been chased out of his home by his own mother as a young child. None of the nights he spent starving could compare to how damaging it was being enslaved by the tag-team twins; he wasn’t just an employee anymore—the twins liked to call him their busboy, or their personal plumber, since anything that had to be fixed, maintained, or disposed of had to be done by Iwaizumi. One of their first manners of business was firing anyone they deemed unnecessary, due to Atsumu’s cheapness, which left Iwaizumi, the only young person of the group, remaining as a lone worker. Pacing himself was no longer an option, which was asking for trouble, because someone of Hajime’s breed needed breaks in order for his skin to recover enough where he could move his limbs again.

 

Iwaizumi Hajime, you see, was a decaying corpse.

 

In all of his young life, the skeleton had never encountered someone like him; he had met mummies, actual _skeletons_ , bone people, but no one else in the world seemed to have the same genes as he did. No witchdoctor understood his condition, nor could any witch change his programming; Iwaizumi was one of a kind.

A decaying corpse had several key factors that set it apart from other creatures: firstly, there was the fact that his skin didn’t grow back. In his earliest years, Hajime had been praised for his lovely tan skin, but now, the color had taken on a greyer form, turning rough and ready to fall off at any given moment. Secondly, Iwaizumi’s wounds never healed. The pitchfork accident that left a mild hole in his right palm still remained as a giant puncture, muscles and bone showing for all to see. The pain connected to these injuries was very real, which was why most doctors could never figure out the science behind Iwaizumi the decaying corpse—if he was an _actual_ corpse, why did he still feel pain?

 

Hajime’s decaying state only became worse with the decrease of living quality after the motel entered under new ownership.

 

Iwaizumi now lived in the lowest part of the motel, right underneath the deepest storage cellars and witch quarters; it was a small, cozy room that the corpse had fixed-up enough to make living inside bearable. There was also the fact that he needed room to fix objects, work out, if he wasn’t already dead-tired at the end of the day, and have enough space for his pet werewolf, Hinata, to run around in. There was only one way inside, so if one of the twins decided to use him as a midnight snack, Iwaizumi was toast, though he would always make his best effort to not have what little blood remaining in his body sucked out. The vampires were greatly interested in his decaying state, and only used it against him when they were overly-irritated, as having someone so run-down and unattractive was bad for business.

Over the course of his short life, Iwaizumi had gradually began decaying on each section of his body, starting with the lower portion of his left jaw as a nine-year-old; by the time he was ten, the dead pieces of skin had fallen off and left him with an exposed jaw bone, part of his neck bone, and a bit of his cheek bone. That was one of the worst corpse remnants on his body, though there were plenty more to choose from: a small circle of his upper right temple was missing, the back portion of his left shoulder was bare, his left pinky was a complete skeletal viewing, stretching all the way up to his wrist in a thin line, his right hip bone was also sticking out, but two of the worst showcasings of his decaying state were his chestbone, right in front of his heart, and his completely exposed left ankle/foot.

The twenty-six year old had recovered from his early mental abuse and insecurities during the thirteen golden years at the motel, but the past two-years with the Miya twins had opened up old wounds, figuratively and literally. It didn’t help that he virtually had no living person to talk to, to confide in, not that getting inside Iwaizumi’s trust would be so easy… he could always count on little Hinata to understand, though the werewolf couldn’t speak English; still, he was looking forward to the wedding, if only to have a good distraction for the Miya twins from his own insignificance. He hoped that this wedding would keep them so busy that they wouldn’t have time to ask him to do them favors.

 

Whatever the vampire twins asked of him, Iwaizumi did; a week ago, they had asked him to prepare a wedding invitation for two of their up-coming guests who were to have their ceremony at the motel in October. And so, having finally finished after _days_ of designing a card and writing in elegant handwriting, Hajime was now ready to mail off the invitations. Thankfully, Hinata was sleeping (on his owner’s pillow), so Iwaizumi wouldn’t have to suffer through the heartbreak in the little guy’s eyes when he told him to stay put. He left quietly, handling the envelopes with extreme caution, and headed to the nearby town’s post office.

 

 _I don’t think I’ve ever been to a wedding before_ , Hajime thought to himself, silently walking on the road less traveled in the dark of the summer night, ensuring that the normal townspeople didn’t see him and cause a riot. _I do remember a pair of banshees coming here for their honeymoon, though—that was a scarring experience. I don’t think I’ll ever get those noises and images out of my head._

_What do people do at a normal wedding?_

_First, I guess there has to be a couple; they have to love and cherish each other for all of eternity, or risk starting a war between their kinds when the marriage doesn’t work out. They write vows, I think, and promise to devote to each other for as long as they live, till death parts them, and longer. I think I would add that onto my vows, just so the person would know that I’m not going to forget about them so easily after their death._

_They probably wouldn’t tell me that, though…_

 

Hajime looked around him like he so often did, in hopes of drawing himself away from those self-deprecating thoughts; the moon was bright tonight, though not full, it still provided a beautiful shade of white to light the corpses’ way. The trees around him were still full from the summer’s growth, giving off a vibe of beauty, versus a vibe of fear during the fall and winter seasons—Iwaizumi liked them both ways, though the fullness of the leaves always made him a bit nostalgic and melancholy, since he himself, was not complete.

 _A forest wedding would be nice_ , he thought, catching sight of the mail shoot right on the outside of town. _Apparently we’re in charge of putting all the decorations up, too—or should I say I’M in charge of putting all the decorations up…but at least they have a cool theme. A Halloween Wedding? That’s about as cool as it gets for monsters like us. I wonder what the Trick Or Treat wedding gift contest is all about…maybe I’ll ask their planner. He seemed like a pretty cool guy in his letter._

_Maybe I’ll ask him how courting usually goes for mystical creatures like us._

 

Iwaizumi stopped in front of the mail shoot and gave a stressed, but relieving sigh, carefully sliding the invitations down the mail slot.

_Maybe next time I send wedding invitations, they’ll be for MY wedding…_

 

There was a pitter-patter noise behind him in the shadow-covered bushes—wasting no time, not allowing the criminal to gather a plan of attack, Iwaizumi whipped around, arms held in a boxing position, ready to fight whoever dare mess with someone who had spent the last week and a half writing tiny little words on over 200 wedding invites. Monsters had tried to jump Hajime before, so he was ready for slander and all kinds of illegal fight moves and magic. His eyes remained trained on where he thought the noise was coming from, hearing it get louder and louder and closer and closer to where he was standing; the noise paused for a split second, not five-feet away from the corpse, then gave a quick final rustle—

 

Hinata came bouncing out of the bush, his fuzzy orange tail wagging happily as he totally misinterpreted his owner’s stance for play time, scurrying over to join in the fun.

 

“Hinata,” Hajime scolded, releasing his pose. “Did you follow me? Haven’t I told you before how dangerous it can be out here for someone like you?”

The orange fluff-ball’s ears went back a little, but his curly tail was still wagging back and forth with optimism. It’s not like Iwaizumi could get mad at the little guy…it was hard being cooped up in that tiny room all day long, especially for having so much lingering energy. Hinata could only go out at night, being a werewolf and all, the runt of his pack, none of the less; while he didn’t transform due to his small size, the moon still affected him, giving him all sorts of uncontrollable energy that was difficult to get out. Hajime played with him often, but Hinata had a tendency to bite or scratch when he was playing, and things never ended so well for the decaying corpse. Still, he tried as best as he could to give the little monster a good life—he had found the werewolf wandering in the pumpkin patch one night, exhausted and crying, whimpering from loneliness. His orange head of hair almost made Iwaizumi miss him, but his big brown eyes and human face, hands and toes were unmistakable; if he hadn’t had pointy dog ears, sharp claws, a fluffy tail and razor canine teeth, Hajime would have thought he was a regular village kid. They had been best friends ever since then, and due to the recent employment drop, Hinata was now the corpse’s _only_ friend.

 

“You wanna go for a walk?” Iwaizumi asked, bending down to ruffle the werewolf’s head. “Wanna go for a walk in the pumpkin patch, Hinata?”

“ _Yip_!”

“Race you there!”

 

The two pals sprinted back up the path and around the motel towards the pumpkin patch, which was out of sight from the Miya twins side of the hotel; it was a pretty even race up until the end, when Hinata got so excited that he did a little kick-jump in the air that sent him sprawling out in the dirt when he landed. Iwaizumi laughed and jogged to a halt, watching as the werewolf paddled forward again, zipping around his owner’s legs to find his magic bouncy ball.

“Oh no,” Hajime groaned with a smile. “Not the magic bouncy ball again!”

“ _Yip_!”

“Alright, alright…here—fetch!”

Iwaizumi threw the ball side-armed, watching as the sparkling blue ball came in contact with a nearby tree, sending it bouncing around the edge of the forest and the pumpkins like a pinball machine. Hinata jumped and launched his tiny body left and right, coming within inches of the magic ball, only to be half a second too late; he climbed onto a large orange pumpkin, hoping to blend in with the vegetable so that the ball wouldn’t know he was there. Sometimes Iwaizumi wondered if this was from Hinata’s own imagination, or if the magic ball really did avoid the werewolf like some kind of game.

Eventually, Hinata timed his jump perfectly, and managed to stop the glowing blue orb by throwing it off-course; Iwaizumi watched with a small smile as the pup pounced on the object and began rolling around in the dirt, thrilled over his success. He loved seeing Hinata like this, so carefree and fun…but it made him feel even worse for keeping him so locked-up all the time, but what else could he do? Thing One and Thing Two would never allow a baby werewolf to live inside the motel—they’d probably drink his blood and feed the rest of him to their hungry guests. The thought made Hajime scowl, and Hinata came sauntering back with his magic blue ball, wagging his tail cheerfully, wanting to go again.

“Just one more time, okay?” Iwaizumi said regretfully. “Then we’ve got to go back inside. Someone’s bound to notice a blue light flashing around in the pumpkin patch…Kunimi’s probably mad at us for waking him up. Oh well—that’s his fault for inventing this thing.”

 

Kunimi, the lazy pixie of the forest next to the motel, had met Hinata shortly after he was rescued by Iwaizumi; he insisted that such a plain blue ball (the only one the corpse could find) wouldn’t be able to stimulate someone as energetic as Hinata, so he put a charm on the object to make it more “fun,” though he complained several times that the flashing blue light kept him up at night. Hajime always wondered why the pixie stuck around the forest…he figured it had something to do with loneliness.

 

If anyone understood loneliness, it was Iwaizumi.

 

“Come on, Hinata—time to go to bed.”

The werewolf put his ears back in reluctance, knowing that going inside meant he wouldn’t be able to go back outside until tomorrow evening.

“I know buddy,” Iwaizumi sighed, picking-up the ball and Hinata, tucking the soft animal under his arm. “One day we’ll find you a place where you can run free, all day, every day, alright?”

He didn’t seem completely convinced, but nuzzled his owner’s hand to make sure he knew it was okay; Hajime gave another sigh through his nose and petted down the uncontrollable orange hair on the werewolf’s head as they walked back to the secret passageway in the cellar, which was the only entrance they could use in order to avoid Hinata being seen by the gossiping witches. The pup whined when it became too dark for him to see, but Iwaizumi shushed him gently and led them through the narrow hallway, emerging into the main hall of the staff living quarters. Thankfully, the arrival of summer meant that the witches would be preparing for their fall harvest and all the other witchy shit they liked to dig-up…one time, Iwaizumi found a dead chicken and a stick doll in his room. Long story short, he tended to stay as far away from the witch maids as possible.

As a result of this, and the fact that no one seemed to ever want to befriend Iwaizumi, he and Hinata lived their isolated life together, in the small room under the Candy Cemetery Motel.

 

Iwaizumi’s head was still filled with questions about weddings when he laid down to sleep that night. _What do people wear? Do over two-hundred people really show up? What kind of food do they have? Does everyone have theme weddings? Do both of the parties agree with the theme?_ He didn’t know a single thing about relationships and courting, so Hajime made a mental note to pay close attention when the guests and engaged couple arrived at the hotel in October. Maybe they would be kind enough to answer what questions he had, without making a snide comment like “Why would you need to know about weddings?”

Hinata distracted Iwaizumi by jumping up onto his bed and burrowing his little body into the corpse’s bare right side, where his right hipbone was exposed; for some reason, the werewolf always chose that side to sleep on, like he was trying to comfort his owner, to let him know that he liked the way he was. Although Hajime didn’t believe that anyone could love him enough to agree to marriage for all of eternity, he appreciated the gesture and gave Hinata one last pat before blowing the dim candle out and shutting his tired eyes.

 

Silently, he hoped that this information on weddings would somehow help Hinata and he escape this trapped life, and become free once again.

 

_Five months later…_

_~October 1 st: 30 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

The first guest of Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s wedding arrived a good thirty-days in advance, accompanied by the engaged couple themselves: his name was Oikawa Tooru, and he was a vampire.

 

Oikawa had been _Blood Journal’s_ best writer and reporter for the past 285 years; he wrote stories and reports about everything, from nature, to media, to traveling, to children. Name a topic, and Oikawa could probably come up with a theme and picture ideas within fifteen-minutes. He was the best of the best, and of course, was the best man in the up-coming wedding, having known the zombies Makki and Mattsun for a good twenty-years; this time period was short, in vampire world, but he remembered them more than any of his other memories, simply because wherever the three went, they always had a memorable time together. It was only natural that he would be with them at the motel a good five-weeks in advance, to ensure that everything was in order for their big day, and to ensure that he had an outstanding story for the next issue of _Blood Journal_ magazine.

Always on the lookout for an inspiring, mystical tale, the location and nature of Candy Cemetery Motel practically _screamed_ for Tooru to come, to capture its mystery, its secrets, its foundation and eerie tendencies. With ghosts as the waiters, how could the motel _not_ be haunted? There was probably enough shit that went down inside to give Oikawa fabric for stories for months on end; he couldn’t wait to see the place, and the engaged couple noted with amusement that his leg was shaking erratically in the limo, though they weren’t so naïve enough to believe it was from nerves.

 

“If I didn’t know any better, Oikawa, I’d say you were more nervous for our wedding than we are.” Makki joked, catching his friend’s attention.

“Well of course, Makki!” Tooru cheered. “It’s only the most important day of your entire lives! I want everything to be _per_ fect!”

“And you want it to be good enough to make a story for your magazine, right?” Mattsun commented dryly.

“How could you say that?! I’ve been helping you two prepare for _months_! I’ve invested a lot into this!”

The zombie coupled rolled their eyes, knowing they weren’t going to squeeze a confession out of Oikawa; they were only seconds away from pulling up to the motel, only irritating their friend more when their lack of a “butterfly feeling” became obvious with their neutral expressions.

“There it is!” Tooru gasped.

 

Before the zombies could respond, the vampire grabbed his camera and notepad, jumped out of the barely-stopped limo, and stomped up to the Candy Cemetery Motel.

 

A huge castle loomed over Oikawa’s form, though the activity surrounding it made the atmosphere welcoming. The building was tall and ancient, probably dating back to the early 1400’s; all the brick was greying, giving the hotel a creepy appearance, and the gothic style of the windows, doors and shape confirmed its age. Tooru had never seen such an old building in such good shape before—the flowerbed surrounding the front perimeter was filled with dark colored flowers, white pumpkins, and shockingly realistic hands reaching out from underneath the soft ground. Then again, judging on the violent history of the Miya twins, the hands might have been real…

Makki and Mattsun stepped out of the limo and admire the same view as Oikawa, glad that they had decided to have a Halloween themed wedding. It just fit their zombie status—besides; who _wouldn’t_ want to go to a Halloween wedding as cool as this one? This location was perfect for the ceremony, and Oikawa would like to see someone try to plan a wedding as well as Yahaba could.

Just as the trio were about to explode in conversation about how excited they were for this wedding, the motel’s owners themselves emerged through the large wooden doors.

 

 _Alright_ , Oikawa thought with a forced smile. _I’ve spotted the first things I don’t like about this place_.

 

“Welcome,” Atsumu greeted in a mysterious tone. “You must be Hanamaki and Matsukawa; it’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

The twins advanced forward, step in step, and stopped in front of the trio. Their skin was pale and shaded white, though not as gleaming as their sharp canine teeth; they were the exact same height, the only differences being their personalities and hair, and Tooru wasn’t surprised to find that he didn’t like either of them at first impression. _They probably drink A blood_ , he thought with disgust. _A blood is disgusting!_

“Nice to meet you,” Mattsun nodded, shaking their hands. Tooru internally cringed at his friends’ dirty, greenish looking skin, even though he knew they couldn’t help it; they were zombies, after all… “You two are the owners, right? Atsumu and Osamu Miya?”

“Unfortunately.” Osamu said, giving a dull, fake smile.

“My brother here has a horrible sense of humor, as you’ll soon find out.” Atsumu laughed. His eyes trailed over to Tooru, who was appraising the twins with distaste, not appreciating their Dracula-like outfits; even though they were the same kind, Oikawa had a feeling their tastes were not even _remotely_ close to being similar to his. For his own dignity’s sake, he hoped he and these other vampires were the exact opposites.

“And who do we have here?” Atsumu prompted with interest, turning towards their friend. “You didn’t tell me your best man was a vampire, Hanamaki-kun.”

“It’s not something I like to bring up over the phone,” Makki shrugged. “Or ever, actually.”

“I’m Oikawa Tooru,” He said proudly, waiting for them to offer to shake his hand. “Long-time journalist for _Blood Journal_ , Tokyo. Surely you’ve heard of me? I’ve been their number one writer for over two-hundred years.”

“Ahhhh,” The second twin said, refusing to offer his hand. “You’re the famous Oikawa Tooru, huh? I’ve heard a lot about you…how many times have you won the top journalist award, again?”

“One-hundred and eighty-nine.”

“Impressive…and, how many times has your magazine been named the top of its kind?”

Tooru narrowed his eyes.

“I’m afraid the magazine committee doesn’t share our enthusiasm for creepy stories and worldly inspiring ideas.”

 

Osamu was irritating, that much was for sure. Atsumu seemed a lot more petty, which Oikawa was ready to deal with, though he would have much rather spent the last three-minutes of his life admiring the castle before he was aware that the people who owned it were flirtatious, self-confident bastards.

 

_Flirtatious, self-confident bastards…that sounds familiar…where have I heard that before?_

 

“Would you like to freshen up in your rooms before we give a tour of the motel?”

“That would be great, thanks.”

“We’ll have Iwaizumi bring your bags up; follow us, please.”

 

Tooru’s attempts to trip one of the twins was thwarted by Mattsun, who kept “accidently” bumping into him so hard that he always ended-up a good foot away from the other vampires; he decided to spend his time more wisely, and broke off the group to go exploring around the motel. Makki and Mattsun didn’t need him, anyway; he had already helped Yahaba pick-out the decorations, the food, basically everything, and Tooru was not a man of repetition. He had his camera at the ready, and his notepad prepared for scribbles of his brilliant ideas for articles; with a final farewell to the happy couple, he went off in his own adventure, going straight to the first room he had seen downstairs, where thousands of old paintings were hung on each section of the walls.

 _Although I hate the owners, they do keep this place in pretty tip-top shape_ , Oikawa admitted silently, where no one could hear. _I highly doubt this is their taste, but I bet the previous owner got a lot of customers this way, back in their time…I remember when people used to cherish paintings such as these. Now it’s all about…selfies. I mean, I like selfies too, but I remember when I used to get my portrait done by professional artists—there was something a lot more prideful about that than just taking a quick pic of yourself._

Hardly an inch of the wall could be seen through the group of paintings covering each inch of the terrible dark red wallpaper; there were landscape paintings, portraits, animal paintings, you name it. Tooru wanted to capture each of the stories splattered throughout the room, and stepped back to take a picture of their beauty—he wasn’t pleased with the lack of pictures showing in the image, however, and after a half-an-hour of searching and moving furniture around, Oikawa finally found a position from below in the left corner that allowed all of the stories to merge into one big storybook for _Blood Journal’s_ readers.

 

“A picture can say a thousand words…but a thousand words could never do the picture justice, just like a thousand words could never match the reality of a thousand pictures.”

 

Tooru nodded in satisfaction, clipping his pen back onto the notebook before exiting the picture room to explore the next line of rooms; he was ecstatic to locate the ballroom where Mattsun and Makki’s short reception would be held, and he was even more thrilled to find a creepy floor underneath the lobby that was apparently used for storing a bunch of old junk they had lying around. Tooru guessed there was an unlimited number of closets with antiques, jewels, old furniture, all the things Oikawa loved the most; while he was snooping through the honeymoon suite records of 1931, a strange, haunting noise drifted to his finely attuned vampire ears. It sounded like…a song of some sorts. Maybe a woman? Maybe Tooru was just imagining things—he did have a habit of believing things to be there when they really weren’t, because he loved action, and often found himself dramatizing situations to meet his expectations.

Whatever the alluring noise was, it alerted the vampire to the concept of time, and he decided to go back to the suite he would be staying in to freshen-up before dinner. Although he had dated plenty of women over the course of his 200+ years, there hadn’t been one recently, and Oikawa, despite his passion for journalism, liked to look good in front of everyone—you never know who could be your future.

 

 _This place reminds me of my old castle_ , Tooru thought, running a hand over the golden railing as he walked the staircase up to his room. _The red velvet, vintage style, old school set-up…I should really buy a castle again, if only as a summer home. Makki and Mattsun can come visit with their zombie children, and we can have star watches and slumber parties, just like old times! It’s always good to have a reminder of the past. Having a past is good; it means you’ve done something in your life. I want everyone to know my past, and the best way to show them a little taste is by buying a castle._

Oikawa slipped out the key to his room excitedly, loving how anti-technology this place was; when he pushed open the doors, he let out an amazed gasp.

“ _Wooowww_ …”

The suite was everything he could ever need in a room. Everything about it was gothic, save for the pixie wearing a faded pink sweatshirt near the lamp—the bed was grand and set-up in a canopy style, accented by thick silk maroon sheets, the aging wood flooring was stained with a luscious dark brown color, and the cabinets were beautifully crafted with intricate swirls and designs, decorated with little trinkets and makeup holders.

 

“This place is perfect!” Tooru exclaimed blissfully, falling back onto the bed with a plop. The other being in the room watched awkwardly, though he couldn’t help but be intrigued by this guest’s charisma. “I might stay here forever; I should convince Makki and Mattsun to have their honeymoon here. Or maybe I’ll just rent one by myself…”

The pixie’s dull eyes blinked at Oikawa blankly; he remembered that he had seen someone in there, then, and tossed himself onto his side to get a better look. Whoever this person was definitely had all the traits of being a vampire; pale skin, delicate facial features, a bored expression, a thin, agile build…the sparkles around him proved Oikawa wrong, however, and he realized that the young man was not a vampire, but a pixie of the forest. He was wearing a pink, oversized, loose necked sweatshirt that revealed his sharp collar bones, a short, fluffy purple skirt that reminded Tooru of a ballerina, and sheer white tights as the final object of his outfit, no shoes to go along with it. The light playful blush on his cheeks, common trait of pixies, was the only shred of expression the vampire found on his face.

Upon realizing he had been spotted, the pixie lowered his head.

 

“Oh—I’m sorry,” He began lowly. “I didn’t know when you would be back…I was just fixing the lamp. I’ll leave you be.”

“No worries! If you don’t mind me asking, what’s there to do for fun around here?”

The black haired teen processed the question for a long time, as if he didn’t know such a thing as fun existed.

“Um…there’s usually festivals, but not this time of year. There’s nature walks in the forest…sometimes you can see werewolves running around.”

“Werewolves! Well, if they’re as interesting as the werewolf I know, I think I’ll be in for some excitement.”

The pixie nodded shortly, seeming to be in-awe of Oikawa; judging on his limited experience with vampires, this awe was understandable. Suguru, the head chef of Candy Cemetery, wasn’t exactly a bright, sunshiney guy like this vampire was. His hands fidgeted a bit in his pockets as the occupant of the room went to his bag, pulling out another memory chip for his fancy camera. Tooru noticed how dully intrigued the other was about the device, and this served as inspiration for another story to add to his collection.

“Hey! Would you mind doing me a favor…?”

“Kunimi.”

“Kunimi! Will you do me a favor?!”

“Um…I don’t work here, but…okay.”

“Do what you were doing before I came into the room.” Tooru instructed, readying his camera. “Fix the lamp. I need more pictures for my scrapbook of Makki and Mattsun’s wedding; it wouldn’t make a bad piece for my journal paper either.”

 

With some awkwardness, Kunimi returned to his position by the lamp, right in front of the open window; he raised his hands over the lightbulb, and before Tooru could ready his camera, began to make little sparks of lightening jolt around inside.

“Woahhhhhh! How are you doing that, Kunimi-kun?!”

“Magic.”

“Well keep it up!”

Oikawa fumbled with his camera, desperately trying to get the perfect angle to capture the moment; he stepped back until he was only a few feet away from the entrance doors, then clicked the button—the result was a mysterious, story-worthy image of a tutu-wearing pixie glowing from the lightening in the lightbulb and the dull light coming in through the opened window. Tooru could practically hear the comments now, demanding him to tell the story of the forest pixie who snuck into his room to perform magic.

 

_That outta change the magazine commission’s minds. Who doesn’t love a magical, cute little pixie performing magic?_

 

“Thank you, Kunimi-chan! This will be a story to tell for years to come! I can send you the copy of next month’s Blood Journal, if you’d like.”

The pixie bowed in response, his eyes still a bit wide in amazement; he left a few seconds later, without another word, jumping out of the opened window near the bed—this still alarmed Tooru, even though he knew pixies, though some had no wings, like Kunimi, were still capable of flying. He hurried over and snapped a quick picture of Kunimi drifting to the ground, and watched in curiosity as he hurried away into the forest.

After freshening up a bit, Tooru sprawled out on the bed and looked over the pictures he had taken so far; he could already see the format in his mind, a picture here, an article there…he had a really great feeling about this place. Not only was he going to share the moment of his two best friends getting married, but he was also going to get to spend an entire month in this beautiful motel, secrets and all. It didn’t get much better than this. With enough hard work and interesting subjects to capture, Tooru hoped that maybe this time, his story would be enough to get the _Blood Journal_ back on top.

 

Oikawa gave a happy sigh and sat up, glancing across the room; the wedding invite sitting on the little round table caught his eye. He hadn’t seen any of the invitations yet, since he already knew his role in the wedding; the vampire got up and grabbed the invite, immediately taken-aback by its beauty. Sure, he knew Yahaba agreed to have someone working within the motel to do it, but…this was completely unexpected. Honestly, when Yahaba told Oikawa that they were letting the Miya twins take care of the invites, he was expecting a cheap-ass copycat version of every Halloween invite he had been given, with stupid puns and voodoo magic seeping out to entice the reader. This, however, was completely original, and, if he did say so himself, extremely impressive. Impressive enough where Tooru thought this image would be the perfect cover of his October story.

Once the vampire snapped a few perfect pictures of the invite as it laid alone and secretive on the ancient table and looked them over, he noticed how intricate and beautifully written the words on the invitation really were; the spiderweb detail was pretty bitchin, too, and it looked like something of such delicacy had taken the worker hours to finish just _one_ of them. Oikawa imagined that the person was old, probably a little cranky, but used such peaceful work to release all of the tension in their body, losing whatever stressful thoughts had been haunting them for the entire day; he was badly mistaken, of course, but his dreaming personality caused him to always be thinking poetically, and being a journalist, he was able to make stories out of everything and anything.

After admiring the invitation for a while longer, remembering to ask one of the Miya twins who crafted it later, Tooru strolled over to the large gothic window in his room and leaned over the railing, the pushed back wooden shades revealing a beautiful sight right before his very eyes.

Underneath his room was a large and well-maintained pumpkin patch, which Kunimi had avoided on his decent down, stretching out until it hit the edge of the forest, where bare, thin trees were just recovering from autumn’s first wind gust; the leaves below shared hues of yellow, gold, orange and maroon, shuffling over the pumpkins and dying grass from the light breeze coming in from the North. If that wasn’t a picture-perfect scene, Oikawa didn’t know what was. He hurried back to his camera and adjusted the settings, not wanting to miss the opportunity to capture something as peaceful as the beginnings of fall.

 

 _Makki and Mattsun sure picked the right place to have a wedding_ , Tooru thought, eyes glued onto the scene below him. _I’ll make sure to take hundreds of pictures of this place so they can remember it in the years to come, like when they have big fights and falling outs! Though…judging on their laid-back personalities, I guess that probably won’t happen…they’re no fun. But I guess if they’re happy being boring and lazy, that’s fine by me. I’ll just be the person who draws nostalgia from them when they least expect it._

_Atsumu and Osamu-chan must have a lot of dedicated workers._

 

“Well,” Oikawa sighed lightly to himself, leaning on the window sill to see further into the breathtaking abyss before him. “One thing’s for certain…this is _definitely_ going to be a wedding to remember.”


	2. October 5th

_~October 5 th: 26 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

After relaxing for the first four days of October, Makki and Mattsun began making decorations for the wedding. Since the witches usually refused to help any of the guests, boycotting the full moon, Iwaizumi took it upon himself to help the couple, and had Kunimi partly convinced that his magic would be able to make their wedding the best of the best.

The engaged pair met in the largest dining hall of the motel, a little after their big brunch that Suguru had prepared in their honor; in actuality, Iwaizumi was convinced he only cooked to impress the other guests, including a slutty banshee on floor two, but that wasn’t his business. Even though the decaying corpse was sure he wasn’t supposed to speak to Makki and Mattsun (unless for strictly business purposes), Hajime decided that the best way to please both parties was to get these decorations finished as quickly and as beautifully as possible.

 _Be casual_ , Iwaizumi coached himself as he hovered around the entrance to the dining hall. _You don’t talk to zombies a lot, so make sure you don’t talk too fast. Or maybe that will insult them…whatever. Don’t overthink this. They’re just people. They can actually respond, because they’re not baby werewolves. Just go for it! Be yourself!_

 

To release his lingering nerves over the fear of being rejected (a pain he knew much too well), Iwaizumi let out a deep, soothing breath, then entered the battleground.

 

Makki and Mattsun would have looked like zombies even if they had been humans; Hanamaki was the one with pinker, shorter hair, the one Iwaizumi was preparing the wedding dress for. His eyes were casual, narrow, but not unwelcoming—his humor was probably along the lines of teasing, pointing out facts that people had forgotten about long ago. Matsukawa was the larger, bulky one, who was wearing a black tux with thin white stripes, orange lining, a spiderweb tie (literally), and no shoes for the wedding. He was definitely a groom to be reckoned with—he was taller than Iwaizumi by a good three inches, thicker, surprisingly toned for being a zombie; his lazy brown eyes seemed uninterested, but Hajime noticed a certain spark inside their color whenever he glanced over at his fiancé, giving him a toothless, but very romantic smile.

Zombies nowadays were fairly similar to the ones hundreds of years ago; any clothes they wore became soiled, dirty and tattered within hours, due to the wearer’s “deceased” status. Matsukawa and Hanamaki were probably still-born at birth, which was the most common method of creating zombies in the current times. The shorter was wearing a stylish, but now-ragged teal jacket and ripped jeans, and the taller was wearing a dark sweater with holes everywhere, kacki pants with the ends ripped, and no shoes or socks. Their skin was a little on the green side, full of dirt and dreariness, marks and cuts that produced no blood; the circles under their eyes were dark and deep, but didn’t take away from their attractiveness.

 

_Do it. Just go up there and say hello. Focus. Be casual. Be Iwaizumi!_

Makki glanced over, noticing Iwaizumi first, and beat him to a greeting.

“Have you come to tell us that we’re wanted for more of Oikawa’s picture-taking sessions?” He asked with a groan. “Tell him we’re too zombie today, we’ll look too ugly behind the lens.”

“Too zombie,” Mattsun repeated with a low laugh. “We’re _always_ too zombie.”

“I just came to help with the decorations,” Iwaizumi clarified, sticking a hand out to the taller boy. “I’m Iwaizumi; I’m the one making…well—pretty much everything for the wedding.”

“Are you the one who made those invitations?” Makki asked, eyes widening. “Those were _sick_. Next time I get married, I’m having you design them again.”

Mattsun paused the handshake to look over at his fiancé, his expression blank.

“ _Next_ time you get married?”

 

Hanamaki grinned and offered Iwaizumi a spot next to him, where he was attempting to sew fake spiders into one of the creepy-cotton sheets that were to hang over the large motel windows as the glass would be temporarily tinted glowing orange for the reception; Iwaizumi gladly took a seat and got to work, sewing a spider into the tattered cotton before Makki could even get his placed. Matsukawa snorted, getting his leg a kick under the table. Hajime’s heart was pounding so hard he thought it was going to explode.

 _This…this is going pretty well_ , the corpse told himself, though his stomach was still trembling with butterflies. _For having only talked to Hinata for the past few months…my speech is relatively non-babyish. I have a feeling I’ll never hear the end of it if I accidently wipe one of their mouths or something…_

 

“These are for the reception, right?” Hajime asked, grabbing another spider as Hanamaki watched in awe.

“Yeah…hey, how did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“That!” Makki pointed at the cotton. “We’ve been sitting here for an hour and I’ve only gotten _five_ of them done!”

Iwaizumi thought about making a wife joke, but Mattsun beat him to it.

“I’m marrying a zombie who can’t even put a fake spider on a curtain?” He questioned out-loud, making Makki laugh.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been doing stuff like this since I was twelve.” The corpse said, adding another spider to the cotton.

“Really,” Mattsun replied. “How long have you worked here?”

“Thirteen years or so.”

“Jeez—you must be loaded, being the mastermind behind these motel weddings all the time!” Hanamaki exclaimed.

 _Yeah_ , Iwaizumi thought. _That’s why my $800 is hidden under a floorboard underneath Hinata’s bed at the lowest point in the motel._

“Apparently not loaded enough if I’m still stuck working here.” Hajime huffed.

 

Matsukawa laughed lowly, but apparently that was the hardest he ever laughed, because his fiancé reached over and nudged Iwaizumi’s arm, a bright, sly smile on his lips.

 

“You’re funny, Iwaizumi.” He complimented. “I’m glad you’re not a high-strung creampuff like our wedding planner—I thought he was going to have a heart attack when we told him we were having a Halloween themed wedding.”

“I guess it’s a bit of a shock to some people who don’t live right in the center of the supernatural community,” Iwaizumi laughed. “You guys are from Tokyoveina, right?”

“Yeah. It’s a little ways from the old towns of mystical creatures and such,” Mattsun shrugged. “I like this place, though…lots of trees.”

“Very attentive, Issei.” Hanamaki joked. “Oikawa would pinch you for not using explosive imagery.”

“Oikawa?” Iwaizumi asked, desperate to be part of the conversation.

“The best man of the wedding. Reluctantly.” Mattsun grinned lazily.

“It’s in your best interest to not meet him until the night of the wedding,” Makki smiled mischievously. “If you happen to run into him, the best man speech won’t be as sincere; Oikawa likes a good show.”

“Noted,” Hajime said, going back to his sewing. “I’ll be sure to avoid him in the future.”

“Do you have any blood in you?” The shorter asked.

“Um…not very much. Why?”

“Oikawa’s a vampire—his favorite kind is O.”

“Great,” Iwaizumi muttered. “Another damn vampire I have to worry about…”

“Aside from his flaunting personality, he’s a good, hardworking guy.” Makki explained. “He doesn’t drink from living things, anyway, so you should be good. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of mythical creature are you, Iwaizumi?”

 

Hajime paused his sewing to quickly investigate the expressions of the couple; they didn’t seem to care for the answer that much, which might be a good sign…then again, the twins trick him with that look constantly. The servant swallowed his fear, silently wondering how he should explain the peeling of his skin, the bones showing on his left pinky that suddenly made him very self-conscious…was there any _polite_ way to say this at a dinner table?

 

“Decaying corpse.” Iwaizumi answered stiffly, lowering his gaze to fidget. Keeping his pride was becoming more and more difficult, especially in front of nice people who were obviously not very consumer-driven and stuck-up. Nice people are always harder to tell the truth too, because you know that they _understand_. “I’m sure you haven’t heard of it—I’ve never met someone like me, but all I am is just a half-dead person. My skin doesn’t heal and stuff…”

“Ahh so cool,” Makki said dreamily, leaning his head back. “At least you look half-decent—Mattsun and I have been ugly since the day we were born.”

“You weren’t ugly.” His fiancé replied with a loose smile.

“So…you’re saying I’m ugly _now_ , Mattsun?”

“Not as ugly as me.”

Makki let out another laugh that eased Iwaizumi’s nerves, getting a smile from him.

“Oh how romantic my fiancé is,” He pretended to coo, pinching Matsukawa’s cheek. “Alright, no more chit-chat; we’ve gotta get these curtains done, and then we’ve gotta check the pumpkin patch for the ones we want at the wedding, and then we’ve gotta discuss the pumpkin seed recipe with Suguru.”

“Anything else?”

“Well, yeah, there’s a lot of stuff left, but my motivation has been low since the day after we got engaged. Do _you_ want to make more decorations today?”

Mattsun thought about it for a second.

“Not really.”

“Well then, get to sewing.”

 

Iwaizumi let himself get caught-up in their stupid, mindless conversations about how huge Issei’s feet were, how weird Makki’s hair was, and the couple’s harmless pranks on Oikawa that included stealing the batteries for his camera, breaking all of his pencils, stealing the ink from his pens, etc. etc. Hajime almost felt bad for this Oikawa guy; he seemed to be the object of their pranks quite often, despite their claims that he was a hard worker and a great friend. These worries were quickly put away when Matsukawa told a story about how Oikawa had “accidently” lost the engagement ring picked-out for Hanamaki, _one-hour_ before Issei was going to propose.

The story ended with Oikawa being dis-invited from the proposal scene to take pictures. Iwaizumi thought it was funny, and allowed his real laugh to be heard for the first time in a long time.

By late afternoon, Hajime was glowing. He had never spoken to people this pleasant and hilarious in years, much less, had _two_ people think _he_ was funny in return. He didn’t know he was funny anymore; Hinata couldn’t laugh, though he had barked in amusement when Iwaizumi tripped while putting his pants on one morning…he had forgotten what jokes were, aside from the twins and Suguru. By the late afternoon, Iwaizumi was talking as if he had known Hanamaki and Matsukawa for years, a truly amazing feat for how nervous his poor vulnerable heart had been earlier. To think, yesterday night he had been eating alone in his room, finding amusement by making Hinata spin five circles in a row to earn little pieces of roast beef.

 

For him to now be wandering the pumpkin patch with Candy Cemetery’s honored guests of October?

 

It was almost like a dream. A zombie-filled, wedding cake dream.

 

“What kind of pumpkins do you want for the aisle?” Iwaizumi asked as the three walked through the paths of the pumpkin patch.

“Hmm…I think we want some small orange ones. The white ones would look creepier at the reception; are you the one painting those, Iwaizumi-kun?”

“Yeah—they’re like the masks of Day of the Dead women, right?”

“Yeah! That was Yahaba’s idea. In his view of our wedding, right after we told him, he said that he added those to put some flare into our ceremony.”

“And then you told him it was Halloween-themed.”

“Yup!”

Hajime stopped by the smaller pumpkins right near the forest; there were a few selective ones that would be perfect for the wedding once they grew a bit more. By that time they would be perfectly ripe, perfectly orange for the wedding of the century.

“These ones should be good,” Iwaizumi said, leaning down to grab one. “By the 31st, they should be—”

Hajime’s words left his mouth once he came face to face with a little orange fluffball after picking-up one of the pumpkins. Hinata wagged his tail and gave a little bark, hopping out of his hiding spot and going to greet his owner with licks to the face with his tiny pink tongue.

“Aww, a tiny orange werewolf!” Mattsun said, the words sounding hilarious in his low voice. “Come here little guy! Come here!”

Hinata bounded over to his new friends and showered himself in their affections, his energy at an all-time high for the week; Makki told Mattsun that he wanted his wedding present to be a baby werewolf, which Matsukawa agreed with, letting Hinata nibble gently on his fingers. Hajime should have noticed the tiny fangs poking out from his gums, but was too distracted by the fact that the Miya twins could walk-up on them any second now.

 

“Is he yours, Iwaizumi?” Hanamaki asked, looking up at the corpse.

“Um…yeah. I found him wandering here one night, so I’ve kinda just been…taking care of him since then.”

“Lucky! The only werewolf we know is full grown, isn’t _nearly_ as cute as this little fellow, and has the mood swings of an emo-teen girl.”

“Sounds fun; Hinata only pouts when I don’t let him eat an entire bag of meatbuns.”

The couple laughed at that, and Hajime let them dote on the werewolf for a few more minutes before ushering Hinata away.

“Go play in the forest, Hinata.” He said, picking the fuzzball into his arms. “Don’t want the twins catching you, right?”

“You’re not allowed to have pets?” Makki asked.

“No one knows I have him, so I guess it’s perfectly legal.” Iwaizumi forced a smile. “But I’m assuming things wouldn’t go well if they did find out, so I have to hide him.”

Hinata wilted as his owner set him down in front of the forest, and gave him the saddest puppy-dog look he could manage.

“Please don’t do this to me, Hinata. Go wake Kunimi up, okay? He might play glowball with you.”

When that didn’t work, Iwaizumi promised the dog meatbuns, and the werewolf finally left, bounding off through the grass and into the trees. He watched him go with a small smile on his face, one Makki and Mattsun noticed as fondness.

“Matsukawa, why can’t you look at me like that?”

“Because you’re not a cute werewolf puppy.”

“I guess, but can’t you use your imagination?”

 

Mattsun grinned and helped his fiancé out of the pumpkins, agreeing with Iwaizumi’s choice.

 

“These ones should do just fine; do you happen to know which pumpkins produce the best pumpkin seeds?”

“The big ones usually hold the most flavor…I’ll make sure to add our homemade seasoning on them. Did you want a cinnamon kind, too?”

“Yeah,” Hanamaki answered in surprise. “But…isn’t Suguru in charge of the wedding food?”

“He doesn’t like pumpkin seeds.” Hajime shrugged, setting the pumpkin down. “That’s way too minimal a task for his expertise anyway. I’ll do it with help from the ghosts of the motel.”

Mattsun followed Iwaizumi out of the pumpkin patch, holding Makki’s hand, who seemed to be in a thoughtful mood. The sun was becoming darker in the sky, signaling the start of nightfall; when the trio arrived at the back entrance of the motel again, Hajime feared the worse. He expected this to be the last time the pair ever acknowledged his existence, since that was what every guest did after meeting the handyman…he decided that if this was the last time he would ever have temporary friends, he was going to treat them with great respect.

 

“If you have any concerns about the wedding preparations, please let me know.” Iwaizumi said with a bow of his head. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy together, regardless of the wedding’s turnout.”

“Thanks Iwaizumi,” Hanamaki said with a grin. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the next month or so—by the 31st, you’ll be so sick of waiting on us that you ban yourself from ever having a Halloween wedding of your own.”

“We’ll see about that.” Iwaizumi said blankly, eyes wide with shock. “Um…see you later.”

“Hasta la vista!”

 

The happy couple lazily returned to the motel, leaving a beaming Hajime behind. While this incident should have reminded the corpse of a _very_ important event, the fact was lost to his mind, far too caught-up in the fact that he had now made two new friends. He was ready to have a party in the pumpkin patch when Atsumu came walking by the opened door and ordered Iwaizumi to get working on the remainder of the curtains for the reception. Hajime replied with more civility than ever before, and all-but sprinted down to his tiny room, where his pounds of work waited for him.

 

But having made two new friends, how could Iwaizumi care?

 

By nightfall, Oikawa was so bored out of his mind that Hanamaki and Matsukawa decided to “get rid of him.” Their methods were very simple at this point, and since the motel was surrounded by forestry and gardens, they suggested he go on a nice long nature walk. Tooru’s problem began two days earlier, when the words just weren’t coming to him for the first half of the article; with all the scenery and excitement around him, Oikawa figured the ideas would flow—but they hadn’t. And it was starting to get to him.

“Alright! Let’s all go together!” The vampire suggested, popping up from his seat at their tea table.

“I’m too tired.” Makki whined.

“I don’t want to go on a walk with you.” Mattsun shrugged.

“Mean! Fine—I’ll go all by myself, with no protection by my own fangs.” Tooru said, throwing his jacket on. “And I’ll find all the inspiration I need, _without_ your help.”

 

The couple didn’t reply until Tooru had made it to the door of his suite.

 

“Take a map!”

“I don’t need a map!”

 

Truthfully, Oikawa knew he should have taken a map, but relied on his instincts to lead him to a new source of inspiration. This was going to be the best article Blood Journal had ever produced; this was going to be the Halloween article of all Halloween articles, and Makki and Mattsun would be on the cover of wedding magazines around the _world,_ not just in Japan.

Now all he had to do was get started.

 _I can do this_ , the vampire told himself as he strutted out to the only opening of the forest he could see. _I just need to take in my surroundings, clear my mind, and everything will just…flow. It always does. Then again, I’ve been beaming in daydreams since I arrived here, and yet, I haven’t even written the first sentence._

_Don’t think about it!_

 

Tooru’s strut quickly turned into a slow stroll as he began to admire the yellow and maroon leaved trees quickly surrounding him. There wasn’t much of a path to follow, but he let his mind do the wandering; already, he could feel his body relaxing, his mind slowing for the first time in days. He knew that this was the best way to write, and so, continued his walk in the forest next to Candy Cemetery Motel.

 

As it turns out, Oikawa would find more than he bargained for in the forest of the Candy Cemetery Motel, because that night, October 5th, was the full moon.

 

~~~-~~~

 

It finally hit Iwaizumi when he was dusting off some old tables for the wedding reception.

 

By this time, it was very late at night, late enough where the moon was at its highest point in the sky, shining brightly and looming over the motel. Many of the guests were partying with each other, as a full moon provided power to more than just werewolves.

When this thought occurred to Iwaizumi, he suddenly remembered, with horror, that Hinata was a werewolf.

 

“Damnit!”

 

Hajime dropped his cleaning rag and bolted out of the storage room, storming down and down and down to his tiny living space, where he usually kept Hinata locked-up for the full moon. Since he hadn’t so much as remembered to lock the door, which would have been the best back-up for not setting up Hinata’s entire little playpen, Iwaizumi was worried that the werewolf pup had managed to escape and was currently terrorizing the guests. The idea seems amusing, but Hinata at his most powerful inside the motel was worse than him being at his most serious outside the motel; outside in the forest, he liked to pick fights he couldn’t win, since the full moon made him feel invincible. If he went inside, however…well—the Miya twins were vampires. They would surely find a way to get the pest out of the picture.

Iwaizumi saw the door ajar as soon as he entered the bottom of the winding, narrow stone hallway; he entered quickly, just in case, and found the room empty.

“Hinata?!” He called desperately. “Hinataaa?”

Nothing.

“ _Shit_!”

 

Despite Iwaizumi’s swears, he wasn’t angry at the baby werewolf; he was worried. _Very_ worried. He had always known from the first day of taking Hinata in that the creature would need lots of exercise and outside time—a dingy old bedroom was not a good enough living condition, but unfortunately, it was the only thing Iwaizumi had to offer. Hinata appreciated protection and shelter, but there were other needs he had as a werewolf, and even though Hajime tried his best to heed to those needs, sometimes he found himself in over his head.

The corpse bit his lip anxiously and sprinted back upstairs to exit the motel, searching for Hinata first in the pumpkin patch; when he found nothing there, a sinking feeling fell in his stomach.

Iwaizumi slowly looked towards the entrance to the forest. It seemed to mock him with shaking of branches, welcoming him inside, daring him to come searching for something, only to lose everything along the way.

 

 _I have to find him_ , Hajime told himself firmly. _I have to find him before the night is over. What if the twins find him? What if another werewolf finds him? What if something else finds him and…kills him?_

 

A shiver went through Iwaizumi’s body, and he ran off into the forest to find Hinata before it was too late.

 

At that time, another person was wandering through the forest of Candy Cemetery Motel; Oikawa hadn’t realized how lost he was due to his “cleared writing mind” and had been aimlessly walking for hours, not managing to find a single soul to help him. He wasn’t too concerned until it became dark outside, and the forest seemed to come alive with activity, everything pointing fingers at the full moon above. Of course, the moon effected Oikawa as well, and he wasn’t so much afraid of meeting creatures than he was of meeting another vampire; some vampires tend to feast largely on full moons, and he had a bad feeling the Miya twins could be part of that percentage.

 _Well_ , Tooru thought, holding himself to keep the cold air from rushing into his jacket. _If all else fails, I can become a hermit, a protector of animals in the forest; maybe Makki will come looking for me in years to come, when they return to the motel to renew their vows or something. That would be one hell of a story…hey! I know how I’m going to start my article now! “Beside the Candy Cemetery Motel, right off the pumpkin patch at the backdoor of the building sits a colorful, dooming forest, whose only light source comes from above, the full moon sitting at the tips of the short oak trees.”_

_Damn I’m good._

 

A loud rustling noise came from his left; despite the top of the trees being lit-up, the roots and bark areas were almost completely black. If Oikawa hadn’t been a vampire, walking in a straight line would have been nearly impossible. With his senses heightened from the full moon, Tooru stood straighter, and listened to the noise again, hearing someone speaking quietly; the words were carried through the wind, allowing him to hear the pleading call.

“Hinata?” The voice said distantly. “Hinata?”

 _Someone else must be lost, too_! Oikawa celebrated, immediately running in that direction. _They have a nice voice, too_. _As much as I like to be alone with my thoughts sometimes, it’ll be nice to be lost with someone else…_

Once Tooru ran a good ten-feet, jumping over logs and twisting between the mess of trees, the sexy voiced person’s presence became more known to his vampire senses; they had heard him coming, apparently, because they hadn’t called for this Hinata person since, and it didn’t seem like they moved, either. Oikawa figured it was a superstitious local, and suddenly wasn’t so happy to meet another soul in the forest.

 

In the darkness, Tooru stepped out from a tree cluster, and entered a small clearing.

 

At first sight, there was no one there; Oikawa could smell someone, however, so he stood his ground and stopped holding himself, even though the October wind had picked up considerably.

“I know you’re here,” Tooru announced, feeling as if he was contributing to the intensity of the forest. “Come out from your hiding spot, stranger.”

Oikawa focused his eyes on the darkest tree across from where he was standing—the person’s silhouette was too broad to fit behind the slim bark, and they seemed to realize this the same time as Tooru did. There was a soft release of breath from the person, and then, they emerged.

 

The moon’s brightness shined even brighter, bearing down on this little section of the forest, revealing Iwaizumi Hajime to Oikawa Tooru.

 

Tooru’s eyes widened slightly at the appearance of this stranger; despite having run into several branches along his walk, he could see the image in front of him perfectly clear now. The man’s sleeveless black shirt (equipped with a candy corn patch on the front) left nothing to the imagination, exposing his toned, beautifully tanned skin, and his perfectly sized hands, dirty from a day’s work. His forearms were exceptionally shaped, not too bulky or rough; the stranger’s torso was a nice V angle, his shoulders broad, touchable, and his waist noticeably firm underneath the fabric. The white work pants were a good decision on someone’s part, and although his were dirty and torn, stopping at his knees, they revealed his nice legs, and most of the large…bone exposure on his left ankle that made Oikawa realize he had missed several pieces of the man’s appearance at first glance.

Looking back up, Tooru noticed the decaying sections of Iwaizumi’s body.

First, there was the entire ankle/foot area. Secondly, there was the left shoulder bone that peeked-out from underneath the young man’s shirt. Along with those, there was a strip up his left forearm, beginning at the tip of the pinky finger, and Oikawa was sure he saw a puncture mark on the right palm as well.

 

_Are they on his face, too?_

 

When their eyes met, Tooru could hardly remember to look for the deformities.

 

Iwaizumi was hot. Really really _hot_. And handsome. Boy was he handsome. Even though his eyebrows were furrowed downwards, that didn’t make him look angry, exactly, but more challenging, proudful kind of expression; his hair was black, spikey, kinda funny looking, but fit the rest of his look perfectly. Oikawa loved the pout of his lips that made him look irritated, and the tiny, upturned nose that somehow made the rest of his intimidating features lighten up—especially the sharp jaw that was firmly tensed, as to scare someone off. His eyes were…something else. They were a breathtaking dark brown color, accented by the redness of the outer white rim, and the slanted angle of his eyelids. Oikawa could have looked at them all day long, had his daydreams not been interrupted by the stranger speaking directly to him.

“Can I help you?” He asked, his sexy voice stiffer than last time.

“…Oh no,” Oikawa smiled, turning on the charm. “I was just admiring the full moon, and I thought you might be doing the same.”

Iwaizumi’s face didn’t change.

“So…you’re lost—is that what you’re saying?”

“No!” Tooru lied. “ _You_ must be the one that’s lost, since you keep calling for you friend _Hinata_.”

 

Hajime frowned, but otherwise didn’t reply; Oikawa now noticed the other decaying parts of the young man’s face, like the small area on his right forehead, and the bare bone on his lower jaw and neck. Iwaizumi seemed to realize where his attention was, because he turned away and bent down to investigate an area of disturbed dirt.

 _Crap—did I offend him?!_ Tooru worried to himself, watching as he was utterly ignored by the man. _I didn’t mean to stare like that…I really need to get out of this forest. I’m cold, I’m getting insensible, and I haven’t taken my shower yet! I must make friends with this mysterious, sexy stranger before he leaves me alone out here._

Oikawa bounded over and leaned down, startling the corpse.

“I’m Oikawa Tooru, of _Blood Journal_ magazine, aging vampire.” He introduced, holding out his hand. “And you are?”

Iwaizumi stared at the vampire for a long second, then tentatively, but firmly, shook the best man’s smooth hand.

“Iwaizumi Hajime.”

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa grinned. “May I ask what your affiliation is?”

Hajime wasn’t sure whether to protest against the nickname or squeeze Tooru’s hand so hard it hurt, and although it was difficult to hurt a vampire, he was sure willing to try.

“…I work at the motel.” He answered stiffly, forcing himself to look away.

“And what sort of mythical creature are you, exactly?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Iwaizumi shrugged, trying to look busy. “Do you want me to help you back to the motel, or can I just point you in the right direction?”

“I’m not lost!”

“Okay,” Hajime challenged. “Which way do you go to get out of here?”

 

Oikawa distracted from his negligence by changing the subject.

 

“So, Iwa-chan…who’s this person you’re looking for?”

“None of your business.”

“You know, you’re pretty spunky for being a mediocre employee.”

“And you’re pretty annoying for being the best friend of two zombies.”

“You’ve met Makki and Mattsun?” Oikawa asked curiously, following Iwaizumi as he stood up. The corpse made a face at the weird nicknames, and attempted to walk away, only to be followed by the vampire, whose personality was becoming more irritating and admirable by the second.

“Why are you following me?” Hajime asked. “I thought you said you weren’t lost?”

“Just helping a friend out!” Tooru explained, rocking back and forth on his feet. “Once we find your lost pal, I’ll be out of your hair. Now—tell me who we’re looking for, and I’ll sniff him out for you!”

 _Persistent bastard_ , Iwaizumi sighed. _All I want to do is find Hinata and make sure he’s alright. Can’t anything go right for me on a full moon?_

“It’s not a person,” Hajime replied quietly. “It’s a baby werewolf. Can vampires smell animals?”

“Pf,” Oikawa scoffed confidently. “I can smell _anything_ , Iwa-chan.”

“It’s not ‘Iwa-chan,’ it’s Iwaizumi. If you can’t say it right, I’m not showing you out of the forest.”

 

Tooru took a moment to admire and grin at the corpse’s irritation, then shook his head to clear his senses, and tried to detect the werewolf’s scent.

 

“Hmm…I think I smell werewolf. Is it like a mixture of earth, pumpkins, and meat?”

“Yup.”

“Then follow me this way, Iwa-chan!”

Reluctantly, Iwaizumi followed.

 _Today I made two friends, lost my pet werewolf on a full moon, and now I’m…walking through the forest with a mildly attractive stranger?_ Hajime wondered to himself, glancing over at this Oikawa Tooru character, who was currently hugging himself to keep warm. _No wonder people fear the full moon. I haven’t had action like today in all of my years combined; who’s in charge of this stuff? Is it Kunimi? Is it the cupids? Well…whoever it is…why did they make me run into someone like…HIM?_

Iwaizumi had already admitted to himself that Oikawa was handsome; that much was obvious. With his chestnut hair, matching eyes full of confidence and some weird kind of sweetness, it was a wonder the guy hadn’t been sniffed out by the sirens yet. Hajime remembered how he had dropped the vampire’s bag when he brought it up to his suite—the guy was stylish (proven by his designer clothing), smart (proven by the books upon journals he had), and unworldly confident in himself and his abilities (proven by his personality for the past three-minutes). Now being in the vampire’s presence…he could tell why the witches had been whispering about him since the 1st.

 

Hajime peeked over at Oikawa from the corner of his eye as they walked side by side in the forest, wind whistling and howling around them. _He has nice cheeks_ , the decaying corpse admitted. _Kinda pinkish, they go along well with his white ass vampire skin…he always has that little smile on his lips, which is annoying as hell, and his poses are just unspeakably infuriating, but…the shape of his face is nice. I wonder how long it takes him to style his hair in the morning…surely he doesn’t use spray to keep it in that position. Spray is bad for your hair, or so I’ve heard…but what’s with the long neck? What’s with his height? Maybe that’s why he’s so damn cocky; he has a height advantage over a lot of people. Slim build, black shoes that contrast with his skin, and…_

_Wait._

_Why am I thinking about him so much?_

 

“Are you here for the position of fourth vampire?” Iwaizumi asked dryly.

“Ooo! Are they offering one?”

“Probably. I think you’d fit in well with their establishment.”

Oikawa huffed at that and stuck his nose in the air.

“That’s a bold assumption, Iwa-chan…if you must know, I’m already happily employed elsewhere, for one of the top magazines in the world.”

“Good for you.”

Hajime was both sincere and mocking Tooru, who looked over in question; Iwaizumi didn’t clarify, however, and began searching the trees for Hinata.

“Do you still smell him?”

“Yeah…” Oikawa said slowly, stopping where he was. “I could have sworn his scent ended right he—”

 

Hinata came lurching out of the bushes to their left, scaring Tooru half to death as he jumped back, heart thumping wildly.

 

“Hinata!”

The orange-haired werewolf ran over to greet Iwaizumi, whose relieved smile was so incredibly handsome that Oikawa found his heart beating for a completely different reason now.

“Where have you been?” Hajime asked, turning serious as he held Hinata on his knee. “You know better than to run off on a full moon. You should have reminded me back at the pumpkin patch.”

The werewolf wilted, but didn’t back down his energy; his eyes were glowing with more of a yellow tint tonight, the full moon having already affected his state; his tiny little claws were sticking out, his tail fur growing out a bit more, which would mean haircut tomorrow by a patient Iwaizumi. Hinata jumped off his owner’s knee and jerked his head left, where he had just emerged from.

“Stupid chibi-chan werewolf,” Oikawa grumbled, leaning over to catch his breath. “You scared me half to death!”

“ _Woof_!”

“Hold on,” Iwaizumi said, frowning as he stood back up. Hinata continued to buzz around, ending up back by the bushes each time, his energy unable to escape from his body; he twitched and ran circles around Oikawa’s legs, barking the whole time. “…Do you want us to go that way?”

“ _Woof woof woof_!!!”

 

Hinata jumped back into the bushes, leaving them once again.

 

“Hinata! Wait!”

Iwaizumi ran after the werewolf without a second thought, but was stopped by Tooru grabbing his arm.

“What? The motel’s back that way!”

“I smell blood.” Oikawa said.

“Isn’t that an even more reason to hurry?!”

Tooru’s eyes lit-up with energy. Another story? Could he be so fortunate to find both a story and an incredibly attractive man in one night? The full moon certainly does wonders.

“Let’s go!”

 

Admittedly, Oikawa ran as close to Iwaizumi as possible, because he was freezing his ass off, and the corpse was strangely warm; maybe it was the exercise. Then again, his sexiness probably gave off some sort of luring heat meant to seduce vampires like him…

“Do you still smell blood?” He asked hurriedly, pushing through the trees.

“Yeah—whatever it is should be right over this mound.”

Hinata’s barks could be heard on the other side of a dooming mound of dirt, leaves and branches; the pairs climbed without hesitance, the act being easier for Tooru, but Iwaizumi looked a lot sexier when he climbed. His arm muscles flexed and everything.

_Focus, Oikawa!_

Iwaizumi stopped at the top of the mound—his eyes went wide with great concern, making Oikawa distracted again, but he heard the quiet “Oh no” come from the corpse’s agape mouth.

 

Down below, a little ways past the bottom of the hill, was a long black cat caught in a magic witch trap, two steel pins trapping his right front paw in between the sharp, piercing tips.

 

“ _Hurry_.”

 

Both boys jumped over the mound and jogged down to the distressed animals; the black cat had beautiful midnight blue eyes that were clouded with extreme irritation (probably from Hinata’s barking) and pain. His back was hunched defensively, and he kept trying to jerk away from the company by lunging himself backwards against a tree, desperately attempting to free his injured paw from the trap’s clutches. The maids liked to set their voodoo traps up everywhere on the property, most often in the forest, where they tried to catch creatures like Kunimi, in order to use various magical body parts for their rituals and spells; Iwaizumi often found himself walking in on them performing these frightening ceremonies, and had long ago taken it upon himself to break the traps he found, if they weren’t spiked with some black magic shit that would probably kill him.

Unfortunately, this particular trap had that kind of magic.

“Shit,” Iwaizumi cursed under his breath as he dipped down onto his knees, staring at the contraption with wide eyes. “It’s a witch trap…he probably triggered it with his fur. It’s meant to lure in animals with certain furs, probably detected it from a few miles away; they use their skins in rituals.”

“That’s…”

“Disturbing.”

“Yeah.”

Hajime glanced over to the cat, who had begun hissing like crazy, eager to get away from all the activity; it was fiercely protective of its injured paw, and whenever Hinata tried to jump forward to smell the trap, he almost got whacked by the cat’s other set of claws.

“Stay back, Hinata.” Iwaizumi ordered. “…We need to get him out of this. He’s already lost a lot of blood.”

The corpse reached forward without thinking, causing the sleek black cat to slash at his hand; he drew back quickly, and Oikawa scowled at the cat.

“What a rude little brat! He’s so ungrateful! I say we leave him here—that’ll teach him to mess with us.”

 

Iwaizumi snapped his head over to look at Tooru so fast it was almost at vampire speed. His words were fierce with absolute certainty and protectiveness.

 

“We are _not_ leaving him here to die.”

 

Already irritated with Oikawa’s lack of regard for black cat life (the only Halloween creatures known to have senses and unfiltered potential matching a vampire’s), Hajime turned away and tried to think of a way, any possible way, to free the cat from the trap. Iwaizumi knew by experience from long ago, before the twins bought the motel, that this type of trap couldn’t just be unwired—it would take the next living object available in the place of the first one. Knowing this made Iwaizumi curse again.

“ _Damnit_ ,” He said, shaking his head. “I won’t be able to trigger the trap off him. I’m a corpse, there’s no way it would want me…”

 _Nobody ever does_.

“…It’ll be okay,” Iwaizumi promised, looking into the eyes of the cat, who was growing fatigued from all of his escape attempts. “You’ll be okay…I…I don’t know how, but you’re strong; you held on for this long, maybe you can just hold on a little longer until I go get Kunimi or something—”

“How do you set the trap off again?”

 

Iwaizumi took a moment to realize who was speaking. When he stared aimlessly at the cat, Oikawa repeated himself, eyes beginning to glow red from the full moon.

 

“How do you set the trap off?”

Hajime blinked twice, then swallowed.

“Once you pry the nails apart, it’ll lock onto you instead.” He explained. “It only fires twice, so we might be able to break it after that, but…”

“Alright,” Tooru sighed. He rolled-up his sleeves as the corpse watched in confusion. “Hold the cat still—this might get ugly.”

“What are you going to do?” Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa kneeled down next to him. “You can’t—”

“I’m a vampire, Iwa-chan.” Tooru explained. “It’ll hardly hurt me, and I can crush the trap with one squeeze. Just hold the little brat down, okay?”

Hajime nodded in shock.

“What name should we give him?”

“ _What_?”

“He needs a name so I can call him it to calm him down,” Iwaizumi shrugged, settling himself beside the wary black cat. “How about…Yama. Kageyama.”

Like magic, the cat’s eyes lit up, turning all of his attention onto Hajime like he was a god-send; he looked pleased with the new arrangement, and even allowed Iwaizumi to sit by his side and gently hold the rest of his squirming body down against the ground.

“Everyone ready?” Oikawa asked breathily.

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi nodded. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“So naïve, Iwa-chan! Don’t you know that vampires never back down from a challenge?”

 

Hinata barked in agreement.

 

“Alright…ready? …Go!”

 

Tooru opened the trap with one hand on Hajime’s command, releasing Kageyama’s paw and causing the nails to clamp down on Oikawa’s own palm, blood pooling out immediately. Iwaizumi placed the cat on his lap and hurriedly pushed the trap backwards to break it, even though Oikawa was seconds away from doing the act himself; their hands touched, and with a loud snap, sparks of magic flying everywhere, the witch trap broke in half.

Hinata sprinted over to the cat, annoying him with licks on his ears—the cat didn’t respond to the playfulness fondly, and began wailing and biting at the werewolf, who was unfazed by the moodiness. He continued to lunge at the black cat, licking his sides, paws, and swatting at his flickering tail, forewarning a werewolf-smackdown that would take place if Hinata didn’t get the hell away from him.

“Hinata,” Iwaizumi breathed, lightly picking Kageyama up into his arms, making sure not to irritate his bleeding paw. “Stay down.”

“What a good senpai you are, Iwaizumi.” Oikawa huffed bitterly, rubbing his healing palm tenderly. The wound had all but disappeared upon connecting with his vampire skin, much to the corpse’s amazement—he had never seen the twins or even Suguru do that before.

“Me? You’re the one who saved him.” Hajime grinned.

“Nuh uh!”

“Yeah huh!”

“Nuh uh! It was _your_ idea to save him!”

Iwaizumi could hardly find it in him to argue; Kageyama was staring between the two longingly as Hinata barked happily on the ground, yipping and trying to find another way to get up to the cat.

“Anyway…we should get him back to the motel. He still needs medical treatment.”

“Right.”

“You following me, or do you know your own way out?”

 

Tooru hid his pout and folded his arms, walking up behind Iwaizumi shyly, giving the corpse his answer.

 

“Let’s get you home, Kageyama.”

 

~~~-~~~

 

The party rushed home to Iwaizumi’s little cove under the motel, where the corpse immediately set to work, using his homemade first-aid kit to make Kageyama the Cat as comfortable as possible, which was a bit difficult, considering how energetic Hinata was being.

“Hinata,” Hajime scolded, seeing the werewolf start to intentionally tease Kageyama, whose blue cat eyes sent him the darkest glare yet. “No.”

The werewolf wilted a bit then, and contented himself with sitting back to watch Iwaizumi work on the cat’s injured paw. Oikawa had been watching in silence for a while, not wanting to interrupt the little family, but was ushered forward suddenly by Iwaizumi.

“Oikawa,” He said. His voice was serious, calm, collected. “Can you come hold his body down? I have to clean the wound and put stitches in.”

“…I guess.”

Tooru came forward hesitantly, eyeing the cat to make sure it wasn’t going to try anything touchy-feely again; on the way back, he had leaned over and began licking the vampire’s jacket, much to his cringe. It was a brand new jacket, and he didn’t want the disgusting stray cat’s nasty tongue ruining the fabric. Kageyama’s big midnight blue eyes found him immediately, however, and shined for some stupid reason, as if being held down by Oikawa while he had stitches put into his foot was such a riveting experience. It was infuriating. Tooru put only the tips of his fingers on the cat’s head and lower body, which made Iwaizumi pause and scowl.

“Could you put aside your personality for two-minutes so I can do this without him thrashing around?”

“Rude! I’m being helpful!”

“Not really! If you’re just going to do that, you can leave.”

 

Oikawa pouted again, secretly astounded that Iwaizumi was being so blunt with him. He was taking this situation very seriously, not even celebrating in the fact that they had saved the cat; his eyebrows were even down in a serious, focused scowl, which made Tooru clear his throat and apply himself to making Kageyama stay still while Iwaizumi put a few stitches into the holes in his paw. Hajime didn’t seem bothered by the blood, and was totally dead to the world as he helped the black cat, unaware of how he was being analyzed by a certain vampire.

 

 _What a softie_ , Tooru thought, being sincere for once as he admired the glimmer in Hajime’s dark brown eyes, the small flexes of his muscles that proved how gentle he was being. _He really cares about living creatures that much, even when he’s only like…half-alive himself? …I wonder how he grew to be such a person. I don’t dare ask what his exact type is, but I might need that information for my article—_

_Hey. That gives me an idea._

“So, Iwa-chan.” The vampire began, breaking Iwaizumi’s concentration. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.” He answered quickly, hoping to end this conversation. “You?”

“Same!”

“Same? You’re a vampire, aren’t you like…three-hundred?”

“You wound me, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa whined. “I’m twenty-six at heart, though I do have a good hundred-years on both of those arrogant twins…how long have you worked at the motel here?”

“Is this relevant conversation topic for the current situation, Oikawa?”

“Always! I’m just trying to distract myself from realizing how greasy the animal I’m touching is…I’ll have to leave if I’m not distracted.”

Hajime found himself torn between telling Oikawa to get lost or to give-in and answer his questions; he found himself choosing the latter, and blamed it on his sudden appreciation for human conversation.

“I’ve worked here since I was about eleven.” He said lowly, wiping more blood off Kageyama’s paw.

“Eleven?” Tooru repeated in slight-shock. “Is it legal to start working when you’re eleven?”

Iwaizumi paused before answering.

“Probably not…so…what is it you do again?”

“I’m the top journalist for—”

“Enough said,” Hajime cut him off, making the vampire pout. Kageyama began meowing in pain as his skin was pulled back together by the corpse, who apologized quietly. “You write about makeup and shit?”

Tooru gave a big sigh and rolled his eyes.

“No, Iwa-chan, I don’t write about _makeup_. I write whatever story captures my attention, whatever article I think needs to be heard.”

“How long have you been doing that?”

“Not as long as you’ve been working here, apparently.”

 

Iwaizumi didn’t reply. The stitches were almost finished, and both Hinata and Kageyama were beginning to get restless; Oikawa frowned when the black cat tried licking his hand.

 

“Naughty black cat!” He scolded, trying to nudge the cat’s head away. “No wonder people think you’re bad luck.”

“Good boy, Kageyama.”

Tooru scrunched up his nose as the cat tried to lick him again, this time, maintaining eye contact as he did so.

“Stop! Ew! Iwaizumi, distract me again!”

“No comment.” Hajime said, nodding his head at his work. Kageyama would be back on his feet in no time. It was a good thing they got there when they did, or else he might have bled out under the light of the full moon.

If that wasn’t a bad sign for an upcoming wedding, Iwaizumi didn’t know what was.

“Fine! I’ll keep the conversation alive: you know all about the motel’s history and present history, right?”

“I suppose.”

“Well…would you be willing to be my interviewee for my upcoming article on Makki and Mattsun’s Halloween wedding?”

The decaying corpse froze right as Oikawa took his hands of Kageyama.

“…Huh?” He said stupidly, glancing over.

“You know, my lifeline! My right hand man! The person who allows me to dive into all the secrets and stories of the haunted motel where the grand wedding of Takahiro Hanamaki and Issei Matsukawa!” Tooru explained. For some reason, his stomach was filled with nerves, as if he were afraid Iwaizumi wouldn’t like his idea for the article. “I would even pay you for your information, if you’d like.”

“No,” Iwaizumi blurted out. “That…that’s not necessary…um…that’d be fine, I guess…I mean…the masters probably wouldn’t like it, but…”

 

Tooru wasn’t sure whether to tell Iwaizumi that he didn’t want to pressure him, or to inquire after why he had called the twins ‘masters.’

 

“Well, you don’t _have_ to do it, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa corrected. “I just thought that since we’ll be spending so much time together for the next month or so, we should at least have a goal in mind; it’s good to have goals, you know.”

Hajime shook himself out of his trance to narrow his eyes at the vampire. Spending an entire month with _this_ guy, talking about the history of the motel? That sounded like some medieval form of torture.

“I’ll do it,” Iwaizumi agreed. _Damn. I sounded totally desperate for company_. “But only if you promise not to talk to me too much in front of the twins. I’m not risking my job just for your stupid article.”

 

Oikawa smiled brightly, and Hajime would have thought it was cute, had there not been so many hidden intentions within the smile.

 

“So tell me, Iwaizumi Hajime,” The vampire began professionally. “What is it you do at this job of yours?”

“I do everything in this motel.” Iwaizumi answered.

“Oh…so you’d do me, then?”

 

Both boys, even Oikawa himself, blushed furiously at his words, and Hajime hurriedly went to lay Kageyama on the pillow he laid out for him, as a method of hiding how embarrassed he was. Guests had tried to seduce him into their rooms several times over the years…many of them were actually vampire prostitutes just trying to make a quick buck before they headed to town, where most of the regular customers were, human and creatures alike. Safe to say, Iwaizumi didn’t spend what little money he earned on sex, no matter how lonely his nights were.

“You’d better go,” Hajime suggested, partly because he didn’t want his doubts about Oikawa’s character to be proven true if he stayed longer. “I’ll get into trouble if a guest is seen in my room at this time of the night…especially on full moon nights like this. The Miya twins have mood swings like you wouldn’t believe.”

“I believe you,” Tooru laughed. “I’ll get out of your hair then.”

Iwaizumi turned around when he thought Oikawa had left—when he looked, however, the vampire was still hovering right in front of the stone staircase, staring in Hajime’s direction thoughtfully. His eyes looked a bit confused.

“Well…thanks for helping me get back to the motel, Iwa-chan!” He cheered lightly.

“No problem…thanks for helping find Hinata. And thanks for helping Kageyama. I know you won’t be able to sleep tonight, knowing that you helped an innocent creature, but it was the right thing to do.”

Tooru sighed dramatically.

“I suppose I can use this as blackmail…though I don’t think that dumb cat can do any favors for me…”

Hajime turned to the black cat, who was watching the two of them interact while being licked continuously by Hinata.

“I think Kageyama wants to thank you personally,” The corpse said, going to pick the cat up. “Come over here so he can say goodbye.”

“Nope!” Tooru exclaimed, jumping onto the first step. “It’s too late, I’m already leaving!”

Iwaizumi grinned as the vampire still didn’t leave; he looked back at the decaying corpse, the irritation leaving his face in an instant. He gave a small smile that was the sincerest one Hajime remembered seeing.

 

“Goodnight, Iwa-chan! Watch out for vampires!”

“Have a good night, Crappycawa.”

 

 

Tooru laughed at the insult, then ascended the staircase.

 

Iwaizumi listened until he could no longer hear the vampire’s footsteps above; he turned to the two animals then, and noticed them both staring at him.

“What?” He asked innocently. “He’s a hell of a lot more decent than Suguru and the twins, is he not?”

Kageyama closed his eyes and laid his head back down, hissing in irritation when Hinata began playfully nibbling his ear. Hajime chuckled and picked the werewolf up, carrying him to the little steel box he kept for full moons; Hinata began whining when he saw where they were headed, but let himself be gently placed inside the container. His big brown eyes, still glimmering with yellow, stared up at Iwaizumi with silent pleas amongst their color.

“It’s only for a few more hours, Hinata.” The corpse reasoned. “You know the box helps dull the effects of the full moon. I’ll get you some breakfast from the kitchen in the morning, okay? I’ll even wake-up earlier than Suguru does, just so I can make some meatbuns for us. Okay?”

 

Successfully pacified, the werewolf laid down in the box, and let Iwaizumi cover the top without letting out another whine.

 

Kageyama seemed pleased with the new arrangement, and watched his savior with piercing blue eyes before laying his head down and falling asleep, unstirred by the candles being put out by Iwaizumi. The room fell into darkness, but the penetrative glow of the full moon broke through even the thickest ground around them, giving Hajime just enough light to clearly remember Oikawa’s facial features.

 _What a selfish ass_ , Iwaizumi thought, shaking his head. _Wouldn’t let a cat lick him just because black cats are the only other creature that can match a vampire’s senses, for goodness sake…but he did help Kageyama in the end. Maybe I pushed him in the right direction, but he made the decision. He has a good heart, I think, despite only knowing the guy for an hour or so; I wonder how he’s liking the motel so far. Is he really a journalist? I know he told me he was using me as a source or whatever, but he could have been lying. He sounded pretty sure of his abilities…at least, that’s what his pretty brown eyes said—well, they weren’t THAT pretty, but…_

Hajime sighed loudly to himself. It had been a long day, and the corpse wondered if maybe his fatigue could be contributed to how much conversation he had throughout the day; he could already feel his throat getting sore, and thought about how pathetic that was as he drifted off to sleep. Iwaizumi wasn’t sure if he would keep the friends he made today—he wanted to believe Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s laid-back tendencies, and he even wanted to believe Oikawa’s strange method of making friends, but…he was worried that his desperation would make him vulnerable to manipulation. Guests mixing with workers never worked out well. There was just a hovering “agenda,” if you will, when servants hung out with the guests they were serving.

Iwaizumi thought of Oikawa’s high, teasing voice. He thought of the way he had focused to help Kageyama, how he had refused to admit that he was lost, but had thanked Iwaizumi for helping him get out later. He thought of Makki and Issei’s matching lazy smiles, their hilarious jokes and amusing bickering patterns…he thought it was nice to have friends, if only for a day. He also wondered how the trio ever became friends, good enough where they would willingly let the vampire be the highest honor at their wedding.

 

_That’s gunna be one hell of a best man speech._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Broomsticks-October 8th

_~October 8 th: 23 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

Three days following the dramatic events in the forest outside of Candy Cemetery Motel, Kageyama was feeling good enough to start limping around on his injured paw, a phase which came sooner than Iwaizumi anticipated, due to the black cat’s annoyance at the baby werewolf Hinata, who was determined to find a friend in Kageyama, no matter how many times he got scratched and hissed at. The cat’s appreciation and respect for Iwaizumi prompted him to make the decision to keep Kageyama, if he would be able to handle being Hinata’s companion for the next ten years or so; there were many other witch traps out there, and the corpse didn’t want the pair getting into trouble, so he decided to keep them contained in his bedroom until he came back for his self-nominated lunch break.

The morning was spent in the kitchen with a handful of ghosts, who wanted to help Iwaizumi perfect the pumpkin seeds for the wedding to be; Kuroo was the most helpful, and seemed to have decent knowledge of cooking from his past life. The guests, meanwhile, were out in the largest dining hall for breakfast, served by yours truly, Daisho Suguru, whose white snake fangs were always showing in his smile. The foods served were actually options for the wedding reception, if they chose to eat before the Trick Or Treat competition; Makki and Mattsun were sitting by Oikawa, who helped with taste-testing, which didn’t end well, because Oikawa was very picky about his food.

 

“MMmmmm…this one is so good.” Hanamaki groaned, stuffing his face with mashed potatoes. “Do you like this batch better than the other one, Issei?”

His fiancé couldn’t respond, too busy and focused on his food.

“I didn’t really like them that much.” Tooru shrugged, getting a stare from Suguru, who was hovering by their side of the table.

“What didn’t you like about it?!” He asked hurriedly.

“Oh nothing…the potatoes were lumpy, the butter wasn’t melted…it’s nothing, really—I’m sure the other guests won’t notice!”

“He’s teasing,” Makki said. “We’ll have this batch at the wedding, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all!” Suguru smiled. _Suck up_ , Oikawa thought. “It’ll be even better that night, I’m sure of it.”

“Let’s hope so!”

“Chill, Tooru.”

 

Suguru hurried away to check and see if the mashed potatoes really were lumpy, and Oikawa smiled to himself proudly.

 

“Why don’t you go into the kitchen and find something you want to eat,” Matsukawa suggested to his friend. “Maybe you’ll get enough energy to finally start that damn article you’re so hyped up about.”

“I _did_ start it, thank you very much.”

“He probably took the words right from Iwaizumi’s mouth.” Makki smirked.

“Shh!!!” Tooru hissed. “Don’t let the twins hear you!”

“Just go make some milk bread, Oikawa. We’ll call you if we find something we don’t like.”

“Fineeeeeeee.”

The fourth vampire strutted away from the table and escaped to the hallway, where he managed to make his way down to the kitchen, thinking of Iwaizumi all the way. Ever since the night of the full moon, his mind had been wandering aimlessly, but he did manage to start the first half of his article. Tooru decided to focus the first part on the history and atmosphere of the motel, which would make Makki and Mattsun seem like geniuses for picking the spot for their Halloween wedding; unfortunately, Iwaizumi was kept busy around the motel for the past few days, which prevented him from being able to speak with Oikawa for more than a few minutes. They needed to sit down and have a long, long chat—Tooru hoped that chat would be today.

 _He’s still caring for that damn black cat_ , the vampire thought, smiling fondly, despite his attitude towards Kageyama. _I hope that werewolf’s bugging the shit out of him…I wonder if Iwa-chan ever has days off. I mean, I’m always thinking about my upcoming article, but even I give my hands and eyes a break sometimes; Iwa-chan uses all of his muscles when he works, so he should rest more than he does, especially since he’s a decaying corpse or whatever._

_…I wonder if his wounds hurt._

_I’m sure he’s capable of feeling pain, but to have that many areas of dead tissue and bone exposure? That has to hurt like hell! Poor Iwa-chan._

 

Approaching the kitchen, Oikawa heard voices behind the door; most were distant, ghost-like, almost, but there was one familiar voice that made Tooru unconsciously lick his lips.

“Did you put cinnamon on these ones?” Iwaizumi asked someone.

“Um…yes. Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“Okay, I’ll pop them in the oven.”

“Ten-ish minutes?”

“Yeah.”

_Iwa-chan can…cook?!_

Nosily, Tooru propped the door open a crack and peered inside, amazed by the scene ahead of him; there must have been a dozen ghosts (all wearing red tattered robes) sitting around a food-prep table, all picking pumpkin seeds out of the biggest orange pumpkin Oikawa had ever seen. He recognized it as one from the pumpkin patch, and eagerly watched as some of the ghosts sprinkled the seeds in cinnamon, others in another kind of seasoning, per Iwaizumi’s orders.

“Did you get all the ones from that side?” Hajime asked, walking over to get on a chair so he could see inside the pumpkin. The sight made Oikawa hold in a laugh, noting the corpse’s unfair height. “Good…make sure you get the ones out of that huge chunk over there. Those are the best ones.”

“Ew…”

“I know it sounds gross, bu—”

 

Iwaizumi’s eyes caught with Oikawa’s, who gave him a smile and a wave from his spot at the door.

 

“What are you creeping around out there for?” Iwaizumi asked. All the ghosts noticed that his voice had sounded a little weak.

“Just watching Iwa-chan at his best!” Tooru explained, pushing the door open to walk inside. “So you weren’t kidding when you said you did everything in the motel…”

Hajime didn’t want to answer that, per risking another sexual joke on the vampire’s side.

“Aren’t you helping Hanamaki and Matsukawa pick out food for the wedding?”

“It’s so weird hearing their real names…and I _was_ helping, but apparently my help was unwanted.”

“Caus’ you’re so picky, right?” Iwaizumi smirked.

“I’m not picky!”

The ghosts snickered under their breath, because it was pretty obvious that Oikawa _was_ picky.

“Are these even any good?” A smaller ghost with pudding hair asked quietly under his breath, holding one of the fresh pumpkin seeds up.

“For not really liking food that much, I can say yes, they are.” Hajime said. The ghost didn’t trust his judgement and laid the seed back down beside Oikawa, who looked over at Iwaizumi curiously.

“What do you mean you don’t like food that much?”

“What do you think I mean, Mr. Vampire?” Iwaizumi replied. “You should know this one by now…I’m a corpse, remember? Corpses don’t really eat.”

“Well _obviously_ , but you’re half human, Iwa-chan—shouldn’t you eat more?”

 

Hajime’s brown eyes looked over at him, expression unreadable; suddenly, he rose his right arm and _flexed_ his bicep and forearm muscles, only giving Tooru enough time to partially stop his jaw from completely dropping to the floor.

 

“I think I’ll be okay.”

 

_Holy…shit. Holy shit. Am I really seeing this? Look at those beautiful muscles! Look at how perfectly smooth and toned they are! Holy shit…Iwa-chan can’t be real. There’s no way a corpse can have those type of muscles. He can’t be real. He must be a vampire hybrid or something. Look at those biceps! They’re…they’re so holdable. I want to hold them now. I want to touch his forearms first, though, because those are just…just…_

Oikawa was trying his hardest not to drool, but it was almost impossible, considering how close he was to those popping veins, those tan, well-worked arms…

_Wait. Even his neck is flexing. Shit, I bet he has beautiful collarbones under that shirt. Well, it can hardly be called a shirt, what with the lack of sleeves and all, which is just really unfair, really really un—_

 

“Hey!” Kuroo exclaimed suddenly, making the vampire flinch. “Arm wrestle Iwaizumi-kun!”

“W-What?”

“We can’t possibly beat him because we’re ghosts, you know, so _you_ should arm wrestle him!”

“Shittykawa’s a vampire,” Iwaizumi weighed in. “His strength advantage would make my attempt futile.”

“Right…haha…”

 _I’m never going to get that image out of my brain_ , Tooru thought, distracting himself by practically collapsing into a nearby seat. _Not that I really want to…EVER._

“So,” Iwaizumi started, sitting down next to the vampire. “Are you just coming to hang with the lower society to get more information for your article?”

“Um…no…”

_Get a grip, Oikawa! You’re losing it. You’ve slept with Raiver Hocus before, and he’s a celebrity! He was hot, too, and really book smart. You two were also in love for a good five years, but that doesn’t matter, because…_

_Because…Iwaizumi has way better muscles than Raiver ever did…_

_Wait, no! That’s not why! Well, it isn’t a LIE, but that’s not—_

“Hey…are you feeling okay?”

 

When Hajime went to put his hand on Tooru’s forehead, he flinched away, startled by the appearance of those damn muscles again. Iwaizumi mistook this refusal as being directed towards the hole in his palm, and self-consciously retracted it and hid his shame under the table.

 

“Sorry, it’s just—you look paler than usual.” He mumbled without bite.

“Oh…right!”

“If you need some blood, I might be able to go into the twins’ blood bank downstairs; I don’t know if they have type O, but I can check for you.”

“No no, that’s not necessary.” Oikawa said, noticing the worried glances of the ghosts, who were probably concerned for Iwaizumi’s life at this point. “So! When are you going to start pulling your weight for my article?”

“I don’t know,” Hajime shrugged. “I don’t really have a lot of time to myself this month…”

“But you promised you’d help, Iwa-chan!”

“I didn’t promise anything.”

“You told me you would help, so you’re going to help.” Tooru said firmly, crossing his arms. “I’ll even talk to the twins if I have to, just to get you a couple hours to yourself so you can tell me ghost stories.”

“You’re terrified of the forest, and yet you want me to tell you ghost stories?”

“I’m not _scared_ of the _forest_ , Iwa-chan.”

This lack of argument prompted Hajime’s concern once again, who couldn’t really stop staring at how perfect Oikawa’s white shining skin was. That was how he realized how pale the vampire was in the first place—not that he realized it…

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” The corpse asked hesitantly. “As much as I hate to show concern over someone so childish and annoying, you don’t look so…healthy.”

“It’s probably just the full moon, Iwa-chan! You know what it does to people like us.”

 

Tooru smiled strangely, then stood-up, snatching a bowl of pumpkin seeds on the way, and headed towards the door.

 

“Bye bye, Iwa-chan! Talk to you later!”

“Bye.”

 

The entire room watched Oikawa leave, exclaiming about how good the pumpkin seeds were all the way up to his suite. Kuroo looked back at Iwaizumi, wondering how the odd pair had even become acquainted with each other; aside from the ghosts, the decaying corpse kind of kept to himself, forcing himself to stay away from people to avoid prejudice and snickering behind his back. It was a lonely life, and Kuroo wasn’t sure whether this new friendship was a good or bad thing for Iwaizumi. Meanwhile, Hajime stared at the kitchen door for a long while after Tooru was gone, questions stirring in his mind.

 

_The full moon was three nights ago._

 

~~~-~~~

 

_Beside the Candy Cemetery Motel, right off the pumpkin patch at the back door of the building sits a colorful, dooming forest, whose only light source comes from above, the full moon sitting at the very tips of the short oak trees. This forest, deemed the “Forest of Black Skies” by the superstitious locals, has been covering the property for over three-hundred years, long before the Candy Cemetery Motel was built by the famous architect and ex-warlock, Igor Thurteanth; each stone passageway contains spiritual energy from past suicides that took place in the building, the strange Friday the 13 th occurrences that no living person knows the truth about, the terror of knowing that the black forest is the only possible escape route, and countless legends that remain unconfirmed to even those who took residence in the motel at their suspected time period. These stones contain the broken spirits of time, where wounds never heal, and the ghosts watch the living with envy and an even amount of pity, knowing that someday, all of these walking souls will be gone, one way or another, like all the guests before them._

_This haunted location, full of mystery, blood and wonder, is where Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei chose to have their Halloween-themed wedding, to take place on October 31 st, the Night of the Living Dead._

 

Oikawa nodded his head in assurance, taking his glasses off to rest his eyes for a moment; he had been working late into the evening, not receiving a visit from Iwaizumi like he wanted. The article was coming along nicely, and Tooru could already tell that the readers were in for a gripping story of romance, history, and Halloween. Despite his inner voice telling him to continue, to keep the magic going, Oikawa, for once, ignored the voice and decided to take a much needed break. Well…technically it _wasn’t_ a break, because the vampire was going to roam the motel in search of more fabric for the article, but he was going to stroll while doing so, balancing out the whole “resting” deal.

Emerging into the hallway, Oikawa was greeted with dim lighting, provided by the dull candles beside each door for every room; naturally, he brushed aside any chance of danger and set forth to gather his own information regarding the motel.

Tooru wasn’t ashamed to admit that he would rather have Iwaizumi tell him stories. Maybe even bedtime stories. Then he thought maybe Iwa-chan could tuck him in.

 

_Maybe tomorrow._

 

The vampire first noticed the strange silence that had taken over this section of the motel; apparently the partying guests had all checked out, and the ones left were secretive, and did not wish to be disturbed. The only noises were provided by the whipping wind outside, maybe a witch cleaning here or there, but other than that, Oikawa was exposed to the eerie sound of silence surrounding him at each corner he rounded. He felt like he was being watched—every portrait painting he passed seemed to follow him until the next hallway, where his feeling of uneasiness only grew with the appearance of more portrait paintings, each person more frightening than the last. Tooru made a mental note to ask Iwaizumi about the pictures; maybe their backgrounds would explain why their presence was so powerful inside the motel.

 _There’s gotta be some stories I can find on my own_ , Oikawa thought, going down a darker staircase. _This place has an entire team of ghosts, for goodness sake…maybe I should ask about their past lives. I mean, that might be relevant to where my article is going…I could mention it in passing for effect or something…_

_Where’s Iwa-chan when I need him?_

 

Tooru stopped to sigh and put his hands on his hips; he glanced around the area in which he was standing, not seeing anything remotely fascinating. It was a narrow, dark hallway with seven doors, the final entryway being right across from where Oikawa was stationed—however…that door’s unusual blackness and strange glowing light seeping out from underneath brought the vampire’s attention to a high. He straightened his posture immediately, eyes growing wide with wonder at the mysterious door, whose hinges rattled suddenly, making him flinch backwards in fright.

The entire motel was completely silent as Tooru stared at the door.

No one opened it—but a quiet, _quiet_ voice became audible to Oikawa’s ears after a moment of waiting. He listened with rapt attention, heart beating wildly, so wildly he couldn’t move a muscle. The voice began forming syllables, and then, Tooru could understand the noise as being someone, or some _thing_ singing.

 

It was a woman. More than one, maybe…Tooru couldn’t be sure. He was becoming too distracted, becoming unaware of his surroundings, all because of this woman’s beautiful singing voice; she seemed to be calling out to the vampire himself, singing in his direction, singing for only his ears, singing a song made especially for him. Her smooth, powerful and _unwavering_ tone carried over to him through the thick silence of the hall, hitting his heart directly, pulling Oikawa’s mind in further and further away from his control; she seemed to be getting louder and louder, which might have been true, but the vampire couldn’t tell, and had no wish to _able_ to tell, because he was unconsciously walking closer and closer to the door.

Oikawa _wanted_ that voice.

He continued to walk forward, his steps slow, trance-like, all while zoning-in on the glowing light behind the seventh door that was becoming brighter and better looking with each step. _So beautiful,_ he thought blankly, eyes never blinking _. Such a beautiful voice…so lovely…I want that voice. I want to hear it more…must hear it closer…must have it within my reach…_

Tooru was now standing a foot away from the door. The voice was louder and more breathtaking than ever, sounding perfect in his ears, his very soul; the vampire rose his hand, eager to reach for the voice, to capture her beauty, to keep her beside him forever, to sing to him whenever he wanted:

And oh, did Tooru _want_.

 

He stared at the glow with wonder, and began moving his hand forward, just to touch—

 

“ _Oikawa_!”

 

The brown-haired guest blinked once, snapping out of his trance-like state, hearing none other than Iwaizumi calling his name frantically. Before he could even turn to gather the situation, the corpse was yanking him by the arm, hustling back towards the staircase; as a vampire, Oikawa could feel the anxious energy surrounding Hajime, but struggled to understand the reason behind it, as his mind was still hovering in space, the voice behind them now becoming, if possible, even _more_ beautiful and alluring.

“Hurry!!!” Iwaizumi shouted, tugging him along. “They’re coming, Shittykawa, _hurry_!”

“Iwa…Iwa-chan…”

“ _Come on_!!!”

Oikawa didn’t understand why they were hurrying, because the woman’s song seemed to still be right behind them, following them up the staircase to another group of hallways that led them even further underneath the motel. Despite Tooru’s misdirection at this time, he was still aware of the song nipping at their heels, telling them to come back, not in words, but in their pleading tones, their perfect voices of the moon as they sang and sang, chasing after potential victims for their game of want.

“In here!”

Tooru faintly heard Iwaizumi speak, and chose this moment to look over his shoulder as he was jostled forward by the corpse, almost knocking his head on the stone above him as they ran down the final staircase.

 

Much to the vampire’s shock, the song behind them was no longer a song at all—it was a herd of _sirens_.

 

The women were only women in forms of mist, twisting and molding with the fog as they continued singing, never ceasing to be out of Tooru’s sight, despite Iwaizumi’s quickness as he hurried them towards his room; they really were as beautiful as Oikawa expected, and his eyes widened again, shining with want and want and want and absolute _want_ —

Iwaizumi released Oikawa’s arm, slamming the door behind them.

 

All at once, the song was broken wide open, all but evaporating into the air, leaving the motel in dark silence once more.

 

Tooru’s senses rushed back to him then, and he looked around the room frantically, eyes finding Iwaizumi, who was hunched over on his knees as he leaned against the door, trying to catch his breath.

“I—Iwa-chan?” Oikawa asked shakily. “W-What _was_ that?”

“Sirens,” Hajime answered. He looked up abruptly, eyes becoming fiery. “What the hell did you think you were doing, wandering around like that? What if I wouldn’t have hear the singing, what wo—”

Before the vampire could come up with a non-stupid explanation, the door began shaking, prompting Iwaizumi to grab onto Oikawa’s jacket and pull him back against the wall; the room was too tiny for a fair fight against sirens, so the corpse stood between the enemy and Tooru, hoping to all things heavenly that his door stayed where it was. Hinata and Kageyama were going wild in the opposite corner, hopping and pacing on the bed from anxiety; Kageyama the cat was hesitating between dragging himself to the door and ducking behind Hinata for cover. The werewolf, meanwhile, was almost bouncing the cat and his pillow off the bed.

The door shook and shook and shook, and even though the glow had disappeared from behind the door, Oikawa knew the sirens were behind it.

“What are they doing, Iwa-chan?” Tooru asked. He tried not to show how scared he was, but his grip on Iwaizumi’s forearm already gave his emotion away. “Why aren’t they leaving?”

“I don’t know,” Iwaizumi huffed. “Just don’t go near the door…they’ll leave eventually.”

“How do you know?”

The corpse scowled down at him, making Tooru retreat his questioning. The group sat stiffly where they were, listening and fearing the noises behind the door as the sirens continued their attack, shaking and rattling the door as hard as possible. Hinata finally ducked for cover underneath the curtain of Iwaizumi’s bed, which made Kageyama snort to himself—he fell asleep minutes later, hoping that when he woke up, Hinata would be gone, and Iwaizumi would have some more warm milk for him.

 

When this continued for over fifteen-minutes, Iwaizumi figured they had better get comfortable.

 

“Wait!—oh.”

Oikawa watched the brown-eyed man walk over to his bed, fearing that he was going to kick him to the curb, knowing that the sirens were right behind the thing layer of wood separating them. Iwaizumi carefully moved a sleeping Kageyama to a different pillow on the chair in the corner, then began rearranging the covers on his bed; Tooru watched anxiously, unsure of the situation—while he had joked about doing Iwaizumi, he wasn’t so sure that part of the plot could be repeated in his article. The siren one was good, even though they had almost died, but this was…

“What are you doing, Iwa-chan?” Tooru asked curiously, managing to stand, making sure to avoid going near the trembling door. “This is no time for neatness! The sirens could get in here, and then we—”

“They’re not getting in here,” Iwaizumi sighed, dreading what he was about to willingly do. “If they were able to, they would have done it by now.”

“Well…if you say so…but that doesn’t explain why you’re making your bed, Iwa-chan. I already know that you’re a slob, judging on your hairstyle…it’s too late to save your non-existent reputation.”

 

To maintain his thinning patience, Hajime gave his pillow a tight squeeze before fluffing it up and finishing his new arrangement of the tiny bed.

 

When he turned, the vampire was standing in the corner awkwardly, looking from the bed to Iwaizumi; when he noticed the corpse looking, he straightened up and became “cool” again, playing with his hair to distract from the situation. The only sound was the continuous rattling of the door, a noise Tooru was trying to ignore; before he could give another stupid ass comment, Hajime spoke.

“It’s late,” The decaying corpse said. “They probably won’t stop until morning. You can have the bed.”

Oikawa stared blankly.

“…Vampires can sleep sometimes, can’t they?” Iwaizumi prompted.

“Well…yes, but…you don’t have to give me your bed, Iwa-chan.” Tooru said in a quieter, almost _sensitive_ voice. “You already saved me from the monsters—what more could I ask for?”

“How ‘bout a decent place to sleep?”

“That was a rhetorical question, Iwa-chan.”

“Well I’ll be sleeping right here,” Hajime said, plopping down on the floor right in front of the tiny straw mattress. Hinata poked his head out to see what was happening. “If you want to leave, be my guest. If not, go ahead and lie down. But you should probably be out of here by five—that’s when I have to work. It won’t be good for us to be seen together.”

 

While Iwaizumi situated himself, Oikawa was trying to make a good decision.

 

 _If I lie down on the bed, there’s a good chance I’ll die from the scent of Iwa-chan everywhere_ , he rationalized. _But I sleep on the floor, beside Iwa-chan, that would be just stupid, because I’d still prevent him from getting a good night’s rest, because he would feel guilty if he slept on the bed and let me sleep on the floor! This is just too hard. Maybe I should just go back to my room…_

A particularly hard rattle of the door made Tooru yelp in surprise. Iwaizumi snorted.

 

_I guess I’ll just…sleep on the bed. Iwa-chan’s bed._

 

As fluidly as Oikawa plopped onto the bed, he was feeling really uncomfortable about the situation; not that Iwaizumi was hinting at anything, but...he just felt really guilty. This was Iwaizumi’s room—his tiny, almost un-livable room, with his tiny straw bed, his tiny pets, his tiny chair, his tiny chest of clothing…and here was Oikawa, flourishing millionaire journalist, intruding in his modest space. He felt like a jerk. As he pulled the thin, patched blanket over his body, he acknowledged, for one of the first times in his life, that he was being a shitty bastard.

_How do I make up for this?_

“Are you gunna tell me why you were wandering around?” Iwaizumi asked, looking up from the floor.

“Well, since Iwa-chan didn’t have time to tell me stories, I decided to find some on my own.” Tooru explained while situating himself on the bed. His knees to his toes were hanging off the edge. “You can make up for it by telling me the story of how those damn sirens came to be in this motel!”

“They followed a sailor here,” Hajime sighed, blowing out the candle as Hinata curled up to his side. “He didn’t return their affections, and locked them in that room.”

“Ahh, romance! That’ll fit perfectly for the wedding theme! See how this all could have been prevented, had you—”

“I didn’t have time to play your little games,” Iwaizumi snapped. He shook his head at his short temper and rephrased in a calmer voice. “…I was working on the decorations for the wedding and fixing things in the rooms saved for the wedding guests. I’ll try to find room to talk to you tomorrow.”

 

 _Great_ , Oikawa thought. _Now I feel even worse! Stupid Crappykawa!_

 

“That’s okay,” Tooru shrugged, turning to look at Iwaizumi through the darkness. “I can work around your schedule…we do have a month, after all!”

“A month,” Hajime repeated with horror, and silent delight. “A month…”

“So…have you always slept down here, in the bottom of the ocean?” Oikawa asked. “Don’t the twins have living quarters anywhere?”

“Just for the maids.”

“That doesn’t seem fair—Iwa-chan does _everything_ in this motel!”

 _I try to be polite to the people who willingly talk to me, and this is what I get?_ Iwaizumi thought.

“Wasn’t that the theme of one of your earlier articles?” The corpse said. “How a mythical creature’s fate is never fair, despite their success and well-earned title, simply because of what they are?”

 

Oikawa blushed darkly, shocked at this comment; _Iwaizumi really went back and researched me?_ He wondered, gulping to hold down his stupid reply. _I can’t believe it…_

Hajime was too tired to realize his mistake.

“Anything else you need?” He asked.

Tooru shook his head, hiding under the covers for some weird reason.

“Alright then…goodnight. If you need anything, let me know.”

“…Okay, Iwa-chan.”

 

Neither boy closed their eyes; they were too wrapped up in their own thoughts to realize that the rattling of the door had stopped, the sirens returning to their room once more. Oikawa could have left and returned to his comfy motel bed, equipped with curtains for privacy, trapping him from the sunlight that damaged his perfect skin. Being underneath the ground like this, however, had just as good effect as the curtains upstairs did—

When the boys noticed the sudden stillness of the room, and for their own selfishness, neither mentioned it.

They sat in silence for quite some time, both aware that the other was wide awake; Iwaizumi was more nervous than he put on, having never had someone even come _close_ to visiting his room ever since he began living down here. The silent innuendo was taunting him, telling him that this situation was wrong, that it wasn’t going to end well, but Iwaizumi, despite all he discovered about Oikawa Tooru from a new book in the library, just had a strange feeling that he wasn’t one to sleep around. Maybe _flirt_ around, but not sleep around.

 _He would look good with sex hair, though_ , Hajime thought, shivering on the cold flooring. _I mean, if I’m talking about this as non-explicitly as possible…it would be all messed-up, maybe not even from me grabbing it, but just from how much he was sweating, how all of the product in the locks would wear out, letting the chocolate color run free. I would actually like to grab it, though…I mean, I have no sexual experience what-so-ever, but I’m sure he has, he’s like an old man vampire—if I knew how I acted when I got that way, I’d probably say I would like to tug on his hair. I wonder how it looks naturally. I guess I’ll see in the morning, when it’s all fluffed-up from sleeping on my pillow—that’ll sure be a nice sight to wake-up to; I mean, Hinata is hilarious in the mornings, and Kageyama’s matted fur is even better, but this will be different. It’ll just be…a nice sight to wake-up to._

_I bet his hair looks breathtaking when it’s natural._

 

Thinking about the vampire got him thinking about something Tooru said earlier.

 

“…What’s wrong with my hair?” Iwaizumi asked.

“Nothing, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa smiled innocently. “Sleep tight; don’t let the bed bugs bite!”

“Yeah…goodnight.”

Despite the word being said again, they didn’t close their eyes. A few minutes later, the vampire broke the silence again.

“Hey Iwa-chan?” Tooru whispered.

“Say that one more time, I dare you.”

“I was just going to say thank you, but now I’m not going to, because you’re a meanie!”

Iwaizumi sighed through his mouth and shook his head, wondering why he let the journalist sleep on his bed.

“You don’t have to thank me.” _No one really does anymore, but it sounds meaningful coming from you_. “…Just go to sleep, Crappykawa.”

“Fine. But not because you’re telling me to. Just because I’m tired from all of your—”

“ _Goodnight_ , Oikawa.”

 

Tooru smiled softer this time.

 

“Goodnight…Iwa-chan.”

 

“You have five-seconds to get out of my bed.”

 

Unknown to the boys, outside in the corridor, one of the maid witches was creeping around the corner, listening intently to the famous vampire journalist and the underappreciated worker, who were now sleeping in the same room together, at the very bottom of the motel, where no one could hear or see them—

Or so they thought.

 

_Boy do I have a story to tell the others…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SIREN SONG: Ocean Lullaby, Henrik Astrom ft. Kaori OR Quiet Moon, Velvet Mind Productions ft. Laura Vall
> 
> Idk who I love more, Bokuaka, or Iwaoi!!!! They're both perfect when they're portrayed right. Started another one of my Bokuaka oneshots. Yeet.  
> I LOVE WRITING THIS FICCCCCC  
> Thanks for reading! Remember to start your Halloween paper chain...


	4. October 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unluckiest day of the year forces its power on the Candy Cemetery Motel...

_~Night of October 12 th: 19 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

Feeling guilty and lonely, Iwaizumi had decided to humor Oikawa with stories, and was officially entered into the article as the “eyes and ears of the Candy Cemetery Motel.” The morning after their strange night together, the corpse was greeted with the sight of Oikawa drooling on _his_ pillow, cuddled-up in a ball with the thin blanket, cheeks red and flushed, hair mushed down against one side of his head. Hajime found himself smiling, at five in the _morning_ , like an absolute love-struck idiot. Upon discovering that he was admiring Tooru as he slept, Iwaizumi shook his head and sent himself back into his lonely isolation.

 _It’s too early for feelings_ , he had thought, going over to inspect Kageyama’s paw; the cat was awake and staring at him happily, almost wagging his tail in anticipation. _I suppose I can tell him stories about the motel…it won’t hurt anything, I’ll be helping him, and I’ll be a one-hit wonder, content to be alone and unknown for the rest of my life. Oikawa will probably hug me, and I’ll have to keep that hug for the rest of my life._

_To be honest…I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle that. Having something for a month, long enough to set a routine, a familiar feeling, and then just…let it go._

 

“I’ll be fine,” Iwaizumi told Kageyama, who stared up at him in the light darkness of the room. “I’ll have you and Hinata…that’ll be enough. I’ve never been one to complain, anyway…you’ll stay with me, right Kageyama?”

 

There was a noise to his left, and Iwaizumi turned to see Oikawa making his “waking-up noises” and sitting-up in the bed, mushing his eyes with his fists. He looked like a five-year-old who didn’t get enough sleep. Hajime was pleased to see the vampire so not-put together and alert as he always seemed; it made him seem more human, less vampire. The Miya twins and Suguru were always polished and seductive, ready for a day’s work—Tooru had never been exactly like that, but his natural look usually put theirs to shame without giving any effort. Now, with his drooly pink lips and dry, mushy morning skin…

He looked good.

Iwaizumi’s heart began racing in alarm when the vampire’s eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times to adjust to the dim lighting in the room; his neck was stiff, not allowing him to look as non-chalant as he intended to. He tried to make it seem like he had been frowning at Oikawa, but the other boy didn’t seem to notice, or care too much—his lips went into a pout immediately upon waking-up, and Iwaizumi found himself wishing the vampire would just stay asleep.

Tooru took a moment to stare and glance around the room as he sat up in bed; he looked from Hinata, who was sleeping on the foot of the bed now, over to Kageyama, whose midnight blue eyes were staring in longing at Oikawa from across the room, much to his annoyance, then finally, over to Iwaizumi, whose dark brown eyes were a beautiful sight in the morning.

 

 _…When did I sleep with Iwa-chan?_ The vampire thought groggily. _And since when do I push people off the bed?_

 

“Morning.” Iwaizumi mumbled.

“Mmm…”

“Sleep okay?”

“Mmm…”

Hajime gave a big sigh and closed his eyes, allowing himself a few more minutes of peace before Oikawa became fully awake and irritating. He couldn’t deny, however, that waking-up and having someone to talk to was rather enjoyable; he wondered what it was like being married, or being engaged, like Hanamaki and Matsukawa, where they would get to sleep beside each other every night, talk however long they wanted to, and sleep against each other, sharing their warmth, their space, waiting for the moment when they got to wake-up and start another day with their significant other—these thoughts were dangerous, but Iwaizumi couldn’t stop what his humanity longed for.

There was a plopping noise, and Iwaizumi peeked an eye open to see Oikawa back asleep, limbs hanging off the bed.

“No,” The corpse mumbled, forcing himself to walk over. “You’ve gotta be out of here in a little bit, Oikawa. Get up.”

“ _No_ …” He groaned.

“Yes. You’ll get me in trouble—come on, get up.”

Tooru groaned louder, but forced himself to sit up again. His hair was hilariously sticking up in different directions, but only on one side, which made it that much more amusing; Iwaizumi snorted to himself, and Hinata barked lightly, scurrying up the mattress to lick the vampire’s face. Oikawa flinched in surprise, trying to maneuver his way away from the licking animal, to no avail; Hinata’s relentlessness caused Tooru’s warm skin to become wet and damp, the sensation finally convincing him to heed to Iwaizumi’s warnings. He sighed dramatically and sat up, nudging the werewolf away, who then went over to Kageyama, who was pretending to sleep in the corner.

 

Hajime admired the sleeping beauty for a second longer, looking away as soon as the vampire’s eyes became a bit less hazy.

 

“Did you sleep okay?” He asked lowly, not wanting to speak loudly in the light of the morning. “I know it’s not the most comfortable bed, but…”

“It was fine,” Oikawa answered quietly, voice scratchy and quiet. “Better than the floor, I’m sure.”

He gave a loud stretch of his arms, making Iwaizumi glance over, which he regretted, because the stretch had caused Tooru’s sweatshirt to ride-up on his waist, revealing a small, but prominent portion of his beautiful pale skin.

Iwaizumi had to clear his throat to speak again.

“Well—don’t be wandering around the motel anymore. With Friday the 13th coming up, it’s not good to be snooping into things. You might see something you weren’t meant to see.”

Oikawa didn’t answer, choosing to close his eyes again, feeling fatigue inch him closer to sleep again…

“Oi, Shittykawa—if you fall back asleep I’m letting Kageyama snuggle up to you.”

“You _would_ use him against me,” Tooru mumbled. “So cruel, Iwa-chan.”

“Come on,” Hajime nudged him lightly. “Let’s go.”

Tooru drug himself over to the door, where he was met with coldness, despite having not been the warmest underneath Iwaizumi’s thin blanket; the thought of the corpse himself being within a foot of him was enough to put him asleep feeling the illusion of warmth. Remembering this, Oikawa inched closer to Hajime as they approached the stone door, hoping he wouldn’t accidently kiss Iwaizumi goodbye or something…not that he would be embarrassed…he just didn’t want things to be weird between them.

The pair stopped as Iwaizumi opened the door, Tooru almost running into the stone, due to his lingering sleepiness.

“Well,” Hajime started awkwardly. “This was…eventful. Let’s not do it again. At least not on the 13th, okay? I don’t really need any more bad luck sent my way.”

Oikawa nodded and stepped into the doorway, still waiting for something that would send him on his way, though he was reluctant to do so.

 

“So…I’ll see you around noon.” Iwaizumi promised. “For the article or whatever.”

 

Oikawa’s eyes slowly brightened with life, his posture straightening out, brain becoming alert and aware. _What? Did he really just say that?! Am I hearing wrong?!_

“I have to clean the upper floors and fix some of the beds, but I can probably manage an hour or so…would it be okay if we met in the small tea room instead of your suite?”

“Yes! Yes, whatever you want!”

“Great. I’ll see you then.”

Nobody had _ever_ looked at Iwaizumi the way Tooru was looking at him in that moment; his smile was practically blinding with unbridled joy, his chocolate eyes glowing with fondness, his expression so grateful, so _excited_ for what was to come, added with the warmness of his morning look…it took Iwaizumi’s breath right out of his chest. He found his lips hovering open ever-so-slightly, wanting to gasp for air, but unable to do so because of the shock.

 

“Wonderful!” Oikawa said breathlessly, clapping his hands together. “I’ll get everything ready, you won’t have to worry about a thing! Thanks, Iwa-chan!”

 

Tooru took off running up the stone staircase, clicking the tip of his head on the stone above; he laughed it off and hurried up the stairs to avoid having his beaming (and shy) smile seen by anyone; Hajime watched blankly, only brought back to earth by Hinata’s cold nose touching his leg. His big brown eyes begged the corpse for some food, and Iwaizumi was eager for a distraction—since it was only five in the morning, Suguru would still be recovering from his long night of ass-kissing and flirting, so Iwaizumi could probably get away with making some meat buns, or sneaking a few fish meals away for their breakfast.

It wasn’t five-seconds after thinking this that Hajime found his mind wandering back to Oikawa.

_I need to get some stories prepared._

 

Over the course of the past few days, Iwaizumi had managed to squeeze in an hour for the vampire each afternoon, as promised, right after he took Hinata for a walk and tended to Kageyama, whose bandages were removed on the 11th. He could fight with the werewolf a lot better this way, which is what he preferred to do in his downtime; Iwaizumi stopped their fights as much as possible, but was kept very busy with Oikawa and the Miya twins for a good portion of his days; and the corpse found himself loving sessions with the vampire journalist more than he would ever want to admit.

The first session, Iwaizumi told Oikawa about himself, how long he had lived at the motel, where he had heard these legends and stories from, etc. etc. The vampire was shocked to learn of Iwaizumi’s orphan history, how his mother had run him out of town after his first corpse injury, how he was offered a job here at the motel, at such a young age. He was shocked to learn that Iwaizumi had never had a significant other, or a best friend, or even a friend at all; the handsome worker’s past was marked, and yet, the person in front of him was truly amazing. Oikawa’s own past was blackened, but the only thing that made Hajime seem haunted was the exposed bone areas on his body—the person was hard working, honest, and fair, nothing like he should have been having had such a shitty childhood.

They sat across from each other at a little tea table, where Tooru hurriedly drank sips of his coffee in between his notes; a concentrated Tooru was an attractive Tooru, and halfway through their session, Iwaizumi began to notice.

 

“So you worked with these blacksmiths and repair men who had lived in the village for their entire lives?” Oikawa asked, scribbling frantically. Hajime wondered why he hadn’t seen Tooru worn the glasses on the counter yet. “Their families had lived there for generations…that’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah.”

“Alright! I think we have enough information that will back-up your knowledge of the motel and its occupants; I’m going to organize these notes quick, and then we can start on the legends, okay?”

Tooru’s eyes had been wide with focus and interest ever since Iwaizumi arrived, and right now, they were shining with excitement and mystery, his eagerness to hear the stories showing proudly. Hajime knew that this was real hard work—the things the Miya twins did, none of it was sincere. They didn’t care for the journey. They didn’t care for the destination. They just cared about the results at this very second.

And they didn’t care who they stomped on along the way, as long as they got out of the way quick enough.

Tooru…Tooru cared. He was interested. As good of an actor as he was, and as good of a flirty personality he had, Oikawa was genuine about his work. It was as lovable as it was sexy.

 

“…That’s fine.” Iwaizumi coughed.

 

Oikawa nodded in thanks and quickly began making more notes on his pad of paper; his handwriting was terrible, but his elegant fingers made up for it. Iwaizumi managed to force his expression back into a scowl by the time Tooru looked back up.

 

“Okay,” The vampire began. “What stories do you have prepared for me, Iwa-chan?”

“One of the ones that matters most is the story behind Igor Thurteanth’s wife,” Hajime recalled, smiling in thought at the image of the old skeleton who had told him the story before being sent away by the Miya twins. “Her name was Candy—he named the motel after her.”

“Tell me everything.”

“Igor and she had married at a young age, and by the time the motel finished, he presented it to her for their third wedding anniversary present. They lived on floor six for a good ten-months before everything seemed to go wrong.”

“I thought floor six was no longer in use?” Oikawa stated.

“It isn’t now—1805 was the first and last time anyone ever lived higher than floor five.”

 

Tooru sat back in his chair and listened intently.

 

“Close to the first year anniversary of the motel’s grand opening, Igor’s wife went for a walk near the edge of the forest, like she always did in the fall season; Igor couldn’t go with her because he was too preoccupied with his superstitions to realize that her going out on her own was the most dangerous thing imaginable for Friday the 13th.”

_It was way better when old skeleton Godrick told it…_

“His wife was walking about a mile away from the pumpkin patch, not knowing that seconds earlier, in his hurry to find Candy, Igor had stumbled onto a sleek black cat with glowing red eyes that seemed to stare directly into his very soul, giving him a deep, profound warning. His wife immediately became lost in the forest, and in her hysteria, stumbled upon a cult of witches, who, back in those times, were very powerful and influential. When Igor’s wife refused to join them and attempted to run away, the witches quickly crafted a voodoo doll that matched her innocent beauty, and stabbed a single needle through the doll’s stomach. She began bleeding out on the forest floor, right underneath the Tree of Evil, in the middle of the forest; unknown to the witches, they had not only killed Igor’s wife, but the unborn child inside her.”

Tooru gasped quietly, horrified.

“Things only got worse after that, I’m afraid…when Igor finally managed to get some village people to help find Candy in the forest, a herd of vampires were sucking what was left of her blood, as she had the sweetest blood you could ever imagine. Once the group managed to shoo the vampires away, the village helpers began dying in outrageous accidents, like tripping over branches, swallowing their own spit, biting their tongues…by the time morning arrived, and Friday the 13th was over, the middle of the forest was covered in blood, Igor the only survivor of the night. As it turns out, the forest had switched itself around during his wife’s walk, and now he found himself at the edge of the pumpkin patch once more, holding his wife’s dead body in his arms. He never learned of her pregnancy, but the realization that he was the one who had caused such tragedy was quite enough to overcome his heart with sorrow and grieving. After taking several years to build his five-star motel for mythical creatures and monsters alike, Igor sold it after only one year of business, and was never heard from ever again.”

 

Oikawa’s mouth was hovering open, for once, completely speechless. Iwaizumi liked the look on his stupid face, and couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips; he crossed his arms proudly and waited for Tooru to collect himself.

 

“I…I had no idea that…that there was such a tragic history from the creator himself.” Oikawa said in awe, sitting limply in his chair. “Is…Is Igor’s wife the young woman in the painting hung-up over the main dining table on the first floor?”

“Before her death, yes.” Hajime nodded. “There are hundreds up on floor six, some of her and Igor, but mostly just portraits of her …some of the old employees told me that the paintings are cursed because of how brutal and unjust her death was, not to mention the fact that she died on Friday the 13th. I would only take a picture of the one hanging up downstairs—you never know what ghosts you could unleash by disturbing things where you aren’t wanted.”

Tooru rubbed his face roughly, trying to comprehend such powerful magic. Friday the 13th was not to be messed with—he understood this now, and made a mental note to mention the relief of the wedding being on the 31st instead of the 13th in his article.

“Wow,” Oikawa breathed. “That’s an incredible story, Iwa-chan…I had no idea how good of a storyteller yo—”

“IWAIZUMI!!!”

 

The corpse jumped in his seat, half expecting one of the twins to come barging in and start smacking him up; they both turned to see one of the witch maids come strolling towards the tea room door, glaring a hole through Iwaizumi’s head as she located him.

 

“What are you doing?” She asked snappily. “Miya-sans want you in their office right now, no delays. They said it was urgent.”

“Right. Sorry.”

It was extremely difficult for Iwaizumi to get up from the table he was sharing with Oikawa. Already, he was getting used to having someone to talk to, and was reluctant to walk away from them just because the twins needed him to dull their paranoia over the 13th. As he pushed his chair back in, the corpse looked up to make eye contact with Tooru, who was already looking, wanting to protest against his leaving. Those damn maroon shaded eyes…they were too much. They overpowered Iwaizumi in an instant, sending a wave of something through his body—it shocked him enough where he took a step back, though he never once took his gaze away from Oikawa’s.

“I—” Hajime stopped to prevent his voice from sounding so weak again. “I apologize for leaving so abruptly, Oikawa-san.” _He’s never going to let me live THAT down…_ “Thank you for the tea and coffee; if you need any more information regarding the motel, just ask.”

“Ah…yes—thank you, Iwaizumi-kun.”

Oikawa stood to shake his hand, but was met with a bow.

“I hope you will find everything in the motel to your liking.” The corpse said sincerely. “Please enjoy the remainder of your day.”

Iwaizumi straightened up, and quickly noticed Oikawa’s outstretched hand; he trailed up to the vampire’s expression, seeing that he was smiling, and although it looked genuine enough, there was something resembling pity amongst their color.

Hajime shook his hand anyway, relishing in the softness and spark in Tooru’s touch.

“I will, thank you. And thank you for your time, Iwa-chan; I’m sure with your help, my article will become known as the best Halloween article to ever be published.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

 

Oikawa laughed, and Iwaizumi had a tough time letting go of his hand.

 

“Don’t work too hard, Iwa-chan!” The vampire called as Hajime brushed past the witch. The corpse smiled to himself and shook his head, for once, not dreading the walk down to the twins’ office.

 

 _Iwa-chan’s so nice_ , Tooru thought with a grin, collecting his notes and taking another sip of his coffee. _A bit nerdy, and probably a little socially impaired, but nice. He’s a great storyteller, too! I had no idea he was so good at speaking. Maybe he should be the priest for the wedding…Makki said they got someone, but haven’t told me who it is yet, which is suspicious. Anyway, this article is going to come along nicely, now that I have one of the motel’s biggest secrets in my clutches…I wonder if I should tell the story through Iwaizumi’s eyes, or just—_

Oikawa noticed the other presence in the room, and turned to see the witch still standing in the doorway. She was wearing a complete maid outfit, aside from the missing bonnet thing, and her black beady eyes were staring at Tooru, judging, determining something he couldn’t quite understand.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were still here!” Tooru said. “Do you need something?”

The witch didn’t answer in words, and continued to stare at Oikawa. She determined that with his long legs, perfectly pale vampire skin, his sweet, seductive (and slightly minty) scent, and his cool, smooth tone of voice, Oikawa Tooru was definitely the kind of guest who would ravish in the attention of the handsome worker boy at the motel, going to his bed chambers within a split-second. The witch was sure he had successfully enticed Iwaizumi, though the monster’s own willpower probably didn’t give up that good of a fight…

“…Anyone awake in there?” Oikawa asked.

 

The witch looked back into his eyes, blinked once, then hurried out of the room.

 

“Alright then,” Tooru chuckled, returning to his work. “Iwaizumi sure was right about what he said about witches the other day: witches are bitches who only give stitches.”

 

~~-~~

 

While Oikawa was busy organizing notes and stories for his article, Iwaizumi was standing in the office of Atsumu Miya, joined by his twin brother Osamu—neither of them were pleased, which was never a good sign, considering how little Osamu seemed to be bothered by. Their fancy late 1800’s suits were ruffled from the twins pressing anxiously on the fabric, their buttons undone and hanging; Hajime stood stiffly, ready to be yelled at, scolded, etc. etc—the twins began talking immediately, though not to scold Iwaizumi.

“We’re taking extra precautions for Friday the 13th this year, corpse.” Atsumu said quickly, eyes narrowed in irritation. “Things are already happening, so I want you to do whatever’s possible to ensure the safety of our guests tomorrow; all mirrors in the motel must be put in storage for a day (or turned around, whatever), nazars must be bought and hung up on the handle of each door, the witches must be locked-up, the salt must be laid out, though not near our rooms and dear Oikawa-san’s—you know the drill. Any supernatural thing that may contain evil must be gone. Understood, Iwaizumi?”

“Yes, Atsumu-san.” Hajime nodded. He was not looking forward to bargaining with the old bags who sold nazars in the village—that is, if they even let him inside their shop...it was never good for Iwaizumi to be walking around like he did near the 13th, because so many people thought he was some kind of ghost or negative symbol. “If I may ask, what things happened that are causing you to command higher security for the 13th?”

“If you must know, Iwaizumi, a number of things have happened to Osamu and me in the past week; firstly, the red rose on my windowsill (which you need to fix, by the way) had turned a blackish blue color by the morning sun, and all the petals fell off _one_ by _one_.” Atsumu explained. “The largest glass-stained window in the church on the left wing was cracked right on the face of Igor’s dear young wife Candy, and items have been disappearing all around the motel.”

“My pillow was slashed and torn to pieces when I went to bed a few nights ago.” Osamu added.

_Hinata…_

“Don’t forget about the bloody flower pot that was knocked over right beside my bedroom!” Atsumu cried.

_Kageyama…_

“I see,” Iwaizumi replied calmly. “I will get to it right away, before midnight arrives.”

“Good. We wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt now, would we?”

“No sir.”

“You are dismissed—and make sure you put the nazars on our doors first.”

 

Resisting an eye-roll, Iwaizumi bowed as low as he could manage, and went to go “Friday the 13th” proof the Candy Cemetery Motel.

 

 _Friday the 13 th can date back to the time of Jesus, when he and his thirteen disciples ate the last supper on the thirteenth day of the month,_ Hajime thought to pass the time, turning the first mirror around in the largest hall. _It has been widely known as an unlucky day since the early 1800’s, popularized by a book titled Friday the 13 th, by Thomas W. Lawson. Superstitions on this day include black cats, who are said to doom you to bad luck, breaking mirrors, giving you seven years of bad luck, walking under a ladder, spilled salt, getting a bill of $6.66, cutting your hair on this day, giving birth on this day, etc. etc. I believe in these things, having grown-up witnessing several incidents on this day that are too strange to be considered a coincidence. _

_Maybe if everyone else is unlucky, I’ll be lucky!_

Iwaizumi continued with the ladders; they only had a few to begin with, so he carefully laid them down in one of the lower supply rooms under the motel, then continued to gather the nazars, which took a lot of bargaining and one lock of his hair. He managed to get about fifty of the evil-eye charms, and decided that he would leave the sixth floor’s handle alone, since any magic behind that door could probably outweigh the magic of the 13th; Hajime didn’t run into many of the guests, and a lot of them had already secured themselves inside with their own forms of protection, though one person slipped a thank-you note under their door for the nazar Iwaizumi had placed on the handle. As ridiculous as everything he was doing seemed, the corpse knew that failure to protect the motel meant tragedy, or even a chance of death—

 

The world of supernatural was not to be trifled with.

 

The mirrors were the toughest part of Iwaizumi’s assignment; many of them were hundreds of years old, and thus, would shatter if Iwaizumi tried to lift them up to hang them backwards, preventing the reflection from being seen by any of the guests. He could always throw a sheet over them, but protection as simple as that was sure to backfire, and he was left with no choice but to carry a majority of the newer mirrors down three flights of stairs and into a supply room. It was backbreaking work, and Iwaizumi always came out with scratches that would never go away, adding to his rough appearance—Hajime was not a vain person, not at all like Oikawa, who seemed to care very heavily about his appearance, but…he did like to look presentable. Pieces of dead skin and dried blood was not presentable.

Since there wasn’t anything Iwaizumi could do to solve that particular problem, he went around carrying mirrors, consoling the guests who were frightened about tomorrow, and daydreaming of how Oikawa would react when he would ask to take his mirror away.

His daydreams became reality when Tooru’s room was next.

Iwaizumi knocked loudly, hoping to scare the shit out of the vampire, but was greeted with a grinning Oikawa instead.

“Iwa-chan, did you miss your Oikawa-san?!”

“No. I just came to take your mirror away.” Iwaizumi explained. There was a tiny smile hiding on his lips that Tooru caught right before he realized how horrible the corpse’s words were.

“Wait…what?”

“Your mirror. I need to put it away. Tomorrow’s Friday the 13th, you know? Break a mirror, give yourself seven years of bad luck?”

“My mirror! But Iwa-chan, I _need_ my mirror!” Oikawa protested, grabbing onto Hajime’s shirt. “I’m not bad luck, Iwa-chan, I promise! I won’t break my mirror, and I won’t give anyone else bad luck, either!”

“How can you expect to keep a promise like that? Don’t you know the power of Friday the 13th?” Hajime questioned, wondering why he wasn’t prying the vampire’s hands off his shirt. “I can come and get it right before midnight, if you’d like…it’ll only be for a day. Can’t you survive a day without admiring yourself?”

Oikawa thought about it for a second, then pouted his lips out. A longing thought came to him.

“Well, if I had someone else to admire my charm _for_ me…”

“Pf,” Iwaizumi snorted, brushing past the vampire. “That’s not gunna happen before tomorrow comes, Crappykawa. Just let me cover it u—”

“No!”

 

Tooru threw himself around Hajime’s feet, trapping the corpse in his spot; Iwaizumi looked down in shock, not used to seeing people so low beneath him. Usually _he_ was the one bowing to other people…the vampire looked like a frickin koala bear with the way he was wrapped up around his short, tan legs. His head almost reached Iwaizumi’s hip, which irritated the worker to no end.

 

“Oi! What are you doing?!”

“Don’t take my mirror, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa begged pathetically.

“Would you rather I shatter it into a million pieces?”

“No! You can’t! I won’t let you, big meanie!”

_Are we really arguing like a bunch of kids?_

“Get off me!”

“No! Leave my mirror!”

“Fine!” Iwaizumi said. “Just get off me already!”

Oikawa paused, then looked up and grinned.

“Iwa-chan…are you touched starved? Do you want a hug?”

“No.”

“Hugging!!!” Tooru screeched, hugging Hajime’s legs as hard as he could, unknowingly making the corpse’s dull heart pound with excitement and warmth.

“Stop!” Iwaizumi laughed, trying to shove the vampire’s head around to get him off. “No hugging! I’m breaking your mirror!”

“No, Iwa-chan likes hugs!”

 

In the end, Iwaizumi got every mirror to safety, with the exception of one—as it turns out, that one was the determining factor in the unlucky streak of the Candy Cemetery Motel.

 

_~Friday, October 13 th: 18 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

Iwaizumi woke to the sound of Hinata barking.

 

It was roughly six in the morning, an hour after Iwaizumi was usually up; this seemed to set the tone for the remainder of the day. When he finally managed to get his mind to cooperate, Hajime noticed that Hinata was barking at the tiny opening in between the door and the stone wall that made up their tiny room—apparently, Kageyama had escaped Hinata through this passageway, and was now running around the motel, still injured, still crabby, and still Kageyama. Iwaizumi took a moment to think over the situation.

_Kageyama…is black. Kageyama the black cat. Today is…October 13 th—no—Friday, October 13th…Kageyama, the black cat, walking around the Candy Cemetery Motel, on Friday the 13th._

_Shit._

 

“Shit!”

 

Iwaizumi jumped out of bed, threw on his shirt, and sprinted up the stairs, Hinata hot at his heels. The guests had been advised by the Miya twins to stay in their rooms on the 13th, but the corpse thought of a few particular people who would probably be too young and hungry to go by those rules, and they included an engaged couple, and a persistent little vampire brat journalist named Oikawa Tooru.

“Hinata, stay!”

The werewolf halted on the top of the main staircase, peeking out of the door Iwaizumi had opened, trying to see if it was safe for him to be running around the motel. The salt laid out on the doorways was still in place, but something seemed…off. It was probably Kageyama. Iwaizumi had never felt more unlucky—he felt vulnerable, exposed to a greater force that could wipe him out in a second; his limbs were heavy, fatigued from an unknown factor, and his chest just felt plain terrified of what was to come. The salt felt as if it had no power against anything, and Iwaizumi wondered if the power of Friday the 13th was just too overwhelming.

_There’s only one way to find out._

Hajime ordered Hinata to search for Kageyama on the lower portions of the motel, and left to go see who had dared to wander the motel on the 13th of October. _This is so bad_ , Hajime thought to himself. _This is so very bad. Kageyama’s going to be killed. He’s a black cat, one of the most superstitious creatures on the face of the earth, and it’s FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH! We’re so screwed. If I don’t find him before noon…_

 

After seeing nobody on floors three or four, Iwaizumi finally ran into Hanamaki on the main staircase leading down to the lobby and dining hall.

 

“Iwaizumi!” Makki called out, giving him a grin as the corpse approached him huffing and puffing. “I see you’re enjoying the most superstitious day of the year as well. Out for a little stroll?”

“I guess,” Hajime puffed out. “Say…you haven’t seen a black cat running around here, have you?”

“Is that a Friday the 13th joke?”

“I wish…didn’t Oikawa tell you about the black cat we rescued from the forest?”

“Ohhh yeah!” Hanamaki nodded rapidly. “I remember that conversation well—his name’s Kageyama, right?”

“Yeah. If you see him, can you grab him for me? I don’t want the twins freaking out if they catch sight of him.”

“Sure thing—I’ll ask Issei if he’s seen him, too.”

“Thanks, Hanamaki.” Iwaizumi sighed in relief. “I owe you one.”

“Good, because I’ve got a list of things I need done for the wedding, but they’re going to wait until after I find some breakfa—”

 

Iwaizumi watched the scene ahead in slow motion; as Takahiro’s left foot came in contact with the second stair, the laws of gravity were defied by an invisible force, inching the zombie’s toe forward ever-so-slightly, just enough where he would stumble—but Hanamaki didn’t _stumble_.

Hanamaki _flew_.

The next movement happened quickly. Makki’s body went plummeting forward aggressively, a sudden strike of momentum hitting him full-force, pushing him down the staircase. Iwaizumi watched in horror, going to grab his friend, only for his reach to be just an inch too short; Takahiro crashed into the rest of the stairs, unable to stop this power forcing him to roll down the remainder of the steps, thumping and hitting every surface imaginable. He kept putting his hands and feet out to stop himself, only for the act to cause more harm to himself, pinching his muscles as they desperately tried to keep him from more harm, attempting to cling to the railing in hopes of stopping a tragic situation. Iwaizumi sprinted after the zombie, and when Hanamaki finally came to a stop at the bottom of the staircase, Hajime feared the absolute worse.

“Hanamaki!” Iwaizumi cried worriedly, rushing to his side. “Hanamaki!”

The zombie gave a low groan as Hajime helped him sit up and lean against the bottom of the railing; this was a good sign, but Iwaizumi was still holding his breath as he investigated Makki for serious injuries.

“What the hell happened?” Takahiro wondered in pain, holding his right elbow carefully.

“I don’t know. Are you okay? Is your neck injured? How’s your back?”

“My ankle,” Makki said through gritted teeth. “The left one.”

Iwaizumi swooped down to investigate, finding that the zombie’s left ankle, though already dirty and discolored, was noticeably swollen with not blood, but probably puss of some kind. It hurt Hanamaki something fierce, though he tried not to show it—Hajime understood where he was coming from, and set out to make him comfortable, starting with location.

 

“I’ll take you to your room,” Iwaizumi promised, lifting the zombie into his arms before he could protest. “Hold on, okay?”

“Great,” Makki mumbled as they hurried up the evil staircase once again. “Not only can you beat me at arm wrestling, but you can carry me and run at the same time? Matsukawa’s gunna give me so much shit…”

 

Hajime wanted to laugh. He really did…but…with how things were going right now, he couldn’t laugh knowing that their day was only going to get progressively worse from here.

 

Issei wasn’t in the room when Iwaizumi brought Hanamaki back, so he propped the zombie up in the bed and laid a bag of ice on his injured ankle; after being reassured that Makki hadn’t hit his spine or any other vital body part (though his private areas were a bit sore from being squished), he set off to find his fiancé to inform him of the situation.

“Kageyama?” Hajime asked at each corner he rounded, trying not to disturb the guests who were already scared out of their socks. “When I find you, you’re going to be in big trouble…I’m going to hold you down and let Hinata lick every inch of you—”

“I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing, Iwaizumi.” A low voice said.

Hajime turned, relieved to see Matsukawa strolling down the hall to his left. He seemed unharmed so far.

“Matsukawa—Hanamaki hurt his ankle.”

“What? How?”

“He fell down the stairs; it’s a long story.”

“He’s okay though, right?” Mattsun asked with concern. “He didn’t hit his head or anything?”

“Not that we can tell. He’s got some ice on his ankle right now, back in your suite.”

“Man,” The zombie said, rubbing the back of his head. “And I thought my hair was just a sign not to get married…”

“What?” Iwaizumi questioned immediately. “What do you mean? What happened to your hair?”

“When I woke up a half-hour ago, a big chunk of my hair had fallen out.” Mattsun explained, reaching into his pocket to show Hajime his clump of dark brown hair. “I totally forgot it was Friday the 13th today.”

“Yeah, well…I’m sure you’ll never forget it for the rest of your life, Matsukawa-kun.”

 

The pair reflected silently for a moment, both having a sinking feeling that this day was not going to become a good memory in their minds.

 

“I’d better get over to Hanamaki,” Mattsun said, brushing past the corpse. “Thanks for letting me know, Iwaizumi.”

“Be careful.”

“You too. And if you see Oikawa, tell him to stop insulting the spirits—I have a feeling he’s setting himself up for some bad karma.”

 _Of course he is,_ Iwaizumi grumbled. _I knew I should have went to him first…I bet he’s gotten himself thirty years of bad luck by now, the idiot…he’s probably unleashed the wrath of floor six, all to get some stupid pictures for his stupid magazine article._

Hajime paused his angry thoughts, not noticing how despite his annoyance, he really was just worried about the mindless vampire.

_…I’d better go look for him. Kageyama’s probably chasing him somewhere, anyway; if I find Oikawa, I find Kageyama, and I straighten this whole mess out._

 

The entire search of the first three floors came up empty, and Iwaizumi was becoming increasingly agitated with the idea that something terrible was going to happen to him. He felt too weightless, too immune to the little trips and cuts the other few wandering guests were having—everything seemed to be building up to something intense, something horrible and cruel, directed at the poor workman of the Candy Cemetery Motel. When Iwaizumi ran past the main hall, he couldn’t help but notice—not _suspect_ , but notice—that Candy’s painting looked stranger than usual. On the anniversary of her death, no doubt. The image was the same as it had always been, but Hajime could have _sworn_ her eyes were looking at him with pity.

Iwaizumi really didn’t want to know the reason behind her pity, and tried to distract himself by turning his attention back to Kageyama the cat, starting with an investigation of the main floor.

Hearing commotion coming from the kitchen, Iwaizumi decided that was a good place to start.

“I can’t be expected to cook on a day like this!” Suguru was saying as Hajime crept up to the door. “What, do these guests think I’m invincible?! I may be a vampire, but regardless of how vampires are depicted, I need down-time too, and there are plenty of ways for me to die!”

Hajime was too stressed to roll his eyes, and peeked into the small opening of the door, hoping he would see—

 

 _Kageyama_.

 

There the black cat was, in all his glory, slipping through containers and dishes on the top shelf of Suguru’s kitchen, without a care in the world. His midnight blue eyes were locked onto something tightly, and when Iwaizumi looked in that direction, he saw a glass of cold milk sitting on the table, right in front of Suguru. Kageyama wanted the milk. And by god, he was going to get it.

 _Don’t_ , Iwaizumi begged, watching as the black cat began to scurry forward, jumping onto the table, right as Suguru turned to face the counter top. _Kageyama, don’t. I’m begging you. No. Don’t do it. Don’t d—_

Kageyama landed almost silently on the preparation table, but not silently enough; Suguru the chef turned around, gave a loud shriek, and jumped high enough to land back on the top of the counter. The cat was unphased, and his eyes shone with innocence as he began to lap at the milk in the cup, oblivious to how much danger he was in.

“B-Black cat!” Suguru shrieked, forcing Iwaizumi to hold in a bark of laughter. “It’s a black cat!!!”

Daisho tried to scramble as far away from the table as possible, but of course, that wasn’t what happened—Friday the 13th, you know. Suguru’s hand slipped from the counter as he attempted to crawl away, and his mouth smashed into granite, and blood immediately dripped out where his left front tooth had been knocked out. The bloody tooth flew to the ground as Iwaizumi stared in joyous shock.

“ _NO_!!!”

“Where?!” Hajime asked as he ran inside casually. “Where’s the black cat?!”

“Right there!” Daisho yelled, almost in hysteria over his tooth. “Grab it, Iwaizumi!!! _Hurry_!!!”

Kageyama only realized the situation when Iwaizumi picked him up; his little cat lips had milk stains on them, and the decaying corpse had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

“Get it out! Get it out!”

“Yes Suguru-san!”

 

Iwaizumi hurried Kageyama out of the kitchen, not releasing his laughter until they got a good hallway away, where he dropped to the floor and began laughing into his knees as the black cat stared at him curiously, licking his lips to savor the taste of the milk. Hajime couldn’t remember a time when he had laughed so hard; there was just something about seeing your employer act so ridiculous. Karma, it might be called. Whatever it was, Iwaizumi liked it, if only for a second, if only on the 13th of October.

When Hajime recovered, he leaned back and gave a deep sigh; Kageyama looked up, letting the corpse pet his head gently.

“You’re pretty funny,” Iwaizumi admitted. “But I’d be careful if I were you—the twins aren’t as jumpy as Suguru. Understand?”

Kageyama licked his hand, and was disappointed when it didn’t taste like milk.

 

“Iwa-chan!”

 

The decaying corpse nearly jumped out of what little skin he had left, turning to see Oikawa waving at him. The vampire’s happy expression faltered when he saw the black cat, but he maintained his good mood and pranced right up to Iwaizumi.

 

“You shouldn’t be out here,” Hajime said worriedly, standing up to meet him. “It’s dangerous. Hanamaki and Matsukawa have already felt the wrath of the 13th; I don’t want you wandering in uncharted waters as well.”

“Aww, your concern is touching, Iwa-chan, but shouldn’t you be taking your own advice?”

“I’m the employee,” Iwaizumi shrugged, containing Kageyama from leaning over to nuzzle Oikawa’s arm. “My safety doesn’t matter in these situations.”

 _What terrible things can happen to vampires?_ The decaying corpse wondered with anxiety. _They’re immortal and all that shit, it takes a lot to kill them, but…bad things could happen that might make Oikawa WANT to be dead. Spiritual energy as powerful as this can twist the mind, make it believe things that aren’t true, and warp reality enough where fantasy becomes the number one goal. Dangerous thinking can lead to tragedy, wasting your life away…I don’t want that to happen to Oikawa. What’s up with that? I barley know the guy…but…I know him well enough where I believe he might be the type of person who, when offered a glimpse of his future, might be tempted enough to accept the offer. That’s even more dangerous for someone with no strings attached to the human world; normal people who go searching eventually die, but Oikawa…is immortal. He would search forever, and eventually, something worse than his heart will die._

_I can’t let that happen to him._

 

When the corpse’s attention was brought back to Tooru, he found the vampire standing stiffly, frowning at him as if he had actually let Kageyama cuddle with him or something else as vile as that. Oikawa looked cute with this expression, but Iwaizumi was confused as to why he looked so upset.

“Are—”

“Come on,” Oikawa interrupted, grabbing Hajime’s left elbow. “If I have to be stuck in my room, you’re coming with me. I won’t let you face Friday the 13th alone, Iwa-chan!”

“I can’t go in your room with you!”

“Why not? I went in yours, and no offense, but mine’s a lot more spacious; it won’t be as uncomfortable, and if you want, you can even sleep in the bed w—”

“No no no,” Iwaizumi protested. “I can’t be seen—”

“Iwaizumi Hajime, you listen to me!”

 

No one had ever said Iwaizumi’s full name like that; not even his own _mother_ had ever said his full name, and she scolded him until the day she kicked him out. Hajime wasn’t sure he was breathing any more. Tooru’s eyes were fierce with passion as he pointed a finger straight forward, poking it into the corpse’s chest, right above the nakedness that failed to cover his beating heart, stealing whatever breath he had left clear out of his lungs; a huge tremble went through his veins, starting with the middle of his chest bone, a part of his body he didn't know still had feeling—

Something like magic was happening to him.

 

“You shouldn’t think of yourself like that, Iwa-chan.” The vampire said seriously. “I know you’ve probably had to deal with that kind of thought for a long time now, but not anymore. I don’t care if it’s Friday the 13th—you’re going to stay safe, whether you’re in my room with me or not. Understand, Iwa-chan?”

 

Hajime didn’t blink. He could barely even breathe, much less, control the shivers raking over his bare skin. _When was the last time someone…cared?_ The corpse thought blankly. _When has anyone EVER cared about what happens to me?_

 

“O…O…” Iwaizumi swallowed roughly. “Okay.”

Tooru smiled, turning the serious switch off just like that.

“Good boy, Iwa-chan! Now get that disgusting creature away from my hand before I flick it all the way to Tokyoveina.”

There was no way Hajime could respond or obey to that command, not with how hard his heart was hammering in his chest, even after Oikawa took his hand away…but the vampire was walking down the hall, and if Iwaizumi wanted to continue his search for this strange answer to his feelings towards Tooru, he had to follow. Swallowing again, he held Kageyama a bit closer and walked up to where Oikawa was waiting for him.

_Say something, say something…distract yourself. Why…why was he walking around like this anyway? Was he…was he looking for you? Is that true?_

“Why were you wandering around?”

“Oh,” Tooru mumbled. Iwaizumi caught the blush. “I just…I was getting tired of being stuck in my room, that’s all.”

“You were scared, weren’t you?” Hajime grinned.

“Don’t act like it’s so unreasonable, Iwa-chan!” The vampire cried. “It’s Friday the 13th! Everything in my room was moving, I felt like I was in a Final Destination movie!”

Iwaizumi snickered, but his smile was sincere. Oikawa caught this and couldn’t help but laugh at his own childishness; the pair walked to the corpse’s little bedroom to tuck Kageyama away for the day, and were greeted by an overjoyed Hinata, who jumped so high he landed on the black cat in Iwaizumi’s arms. The vampire noted the gentleness of Iwaizumi’s muscles when he held and played with the animals for a few minutes, before they went off to solve more problems before anyone else could get hurt by their own superstitions. For a short while, it didn’t seem like such an unlucky day—here Iwaizumi was, walking along side Oikawa, not too close, but not too far away. The motel was loud in spirit, quiet in voices. It felt like just the two of them on the planet, friendship solidified with the vampire’s passionate refusal to let Iwaizumi face the 13th on his own.

 

Still, the dooming feeling in Hajime’s heart had only thickened with Tooru’s touch.

 

~~~-~~~

 

Later in the day, an hour after dinnertime (which no one ate, due to their superstitions and fortunes that hinted about a poisoned pudding), just when Iwaizumi thought the worst of the 13th was over, a dust storm hit the motel.

 

It didn’t take anyone by surprise; incidents had been happening throughout the day, though thankfully, none were fatal. Oikawa himself seemed to be immune to these bad things, as he was left unfloured when some random ghost accidently knocked an entire bowl of white flour off a random shelf right next to the vampire. As for the dust storm, no one had their windows open, but dirt flew in under the doors and through cracks in the century-old foundation of the motel. Iwaizumi was ordered by the witches (who were still locked-up and probably conspiring against the owners) through a note to use the magical brooms to clean the mess up; he hesitantly did so, and was spared back-breaking work, only to be left with the other lung-clogging task of cleaning the higher places where the brooms couldn’t reach. Hajime, however, did not complain, because he had Oikawa as company during his work.

“This is witch work!” Tooru complained, coughing as Iwaizumi brushed dust off a high painting frame. “They’re the ones with the magic!”

“Well, the twins don’t trust them to be running about on the 13th.”

Tooru gave him an incredulous look.

“But they trust them _locked_ in a _room_ _together_?!”

 

Just as Iwaizumi laughed, their conversation was halted by the appearance of Atsumu Miya. His suit was dusty, and his face was at its worse—there was no signs of that taunting, carefree attitude. His eyes were still mocking, but not with their usual playfulness. Oikawa turned when he saw Iwaizumi’s smile drop.

 

“Atsumu! Enjoying Friday the 13th?”

“Afraid not, Oikawa-san.” The twin replied, trying to give Tooru a kiss-ass smile. “Iwaizumi—Osamu and I need to speak with you. Now.”

“Yes, Atsumu-san.”

Hajime lowered his head and put his rag down; before he could walk to his master, however, Atsumu stopped him.

“Aren’t you going to say goodbye to Tooru-chan?”

Iwaizumi’s blood froze at the tone. He _knew_ that tone. This twin was excellent at teasing, and he often spoke as if he knew something everyone else didn’t. This time, Hajime knew very well what he was talking about; it took him a slow moment, but when he caught the reference, he thought he was going to throw-up.

The corpse turned to Oikawa, who noticed his friend’s sudden paleness.

“G-Goodbye, Oikawa-san.” Iwaizumi forced out, bowing low to the ground. “Please give my regards to Hanamaki; I hope his ankle heals well before the wedding. Have a nice night.”

 

When Hajime turned back to face Atsumu, the twin was smiling.

 

“Farewell, Oikawa!” The blonde cheered as he and his servant began to walk away. “Stay safe! We wouldn’t want anything happening to our other vampire friend, now would we?”

 

The two left Tooru standing in the dining hall, feeling confused and very worried about Iwaizumi’s safety.

 

The seriousness of the situation didn’t hit the decaying corpse until he was within a foot of the twins’ office; until that point, his head had been filled with images of Tooru, what their relationship would be if they had actually slept together that night, or how sweet Tooru would be if Iwaizumi declined, and how nice it would have been to cuddle with him in his tiny bed, with Hinata and Kageyama curled up to their sides…all of that went away in a poof when Iwaizumi looked up and recognized the bright red door that led to the office.

Osamu was standing by the desk, and Hajime immediately went to kneel down, as that was the position the twins liked him to be in when they stood together, ready to scold and berate him. Atsumu brushed past him quickly, slamming the door behind them. Hajime flinched.

Silence filled the room.

_Do I dare look up?_

“Look at us.”

Iwaizumi slowly drew his head up, looking respectfully fearful at the twins, who stared down at him, darkness in their eyes.

“What did we ask of you yesterday, Iwaizumi?” Atsumu asked slowly. It sounded like a trick question.

“Um—you asked me to protect the motel and the guests from harm on Friday the 13th.” He answered quietly.

“Correct. And tell us, _Iwa-chan_ …what did you do on Friday the 13th?”

Hajime swallowed nervously, running through all the images in his head. He knew very well where this conversation was headed, but didn’t want it to be true; before he could give a response, Osamu answered for him.

“You let Hanamaki and Matsukawa out of their rooms, causing the bride to twist his ankle and almost fall to his death.” The twin explained casually. “You then let his fiancé’s hair fall right out of his head, you took orders from the witches, who were supposed to be kept completely locked away, and it has come to our attention that you ‘helped’ one of our honored guests relieve his urges a few nights before, and had the audacity to go to his room throughout the week to ‘help’ some more. That being said, why don’t you tell me, Iwaizumi—what did you do after we asked you to protect the motel?”

 

The corpse was speechless, but he knew what the twins wanted him to say. He stared at both of them in shock, mouth hovering open; seeing their impatience, Hajime forced himself to say the words they loved to hear, and lowered his head in shame and defeat.

 

“ _I failed_.”

 

“That’s right,” Atsumu nodded. “You failed. There’s a dust storm surrounding the motel right now, which means what? Did you forget to hang a nazar on one of the doors, Iwa-chan? Did you forget one of the mirrors? Did you fail to bring the black cat running around to order? Did you spill the salt meant to keep us safe?”

Iwaizumi nodded to all.

“Ah…just as we expected. Well—I’m afraid this type of failure is so severe that physical punishment will have to be in order. Do you agree, Osamu?”

“Agreed.” The twin said.

“Very well.”

Atsumu stepped over to grab a bucket from behind the desk. The bucket’s contents were so hot a thick layer of humid steam was drifting into the air.

“Palms on the ground, _Iwa-chan_.” He ordered.

 

Iwaizumi knew better than to make Atsumu repeat himself. The corpse shakily leaned over and placed his palms flat on the ground.

The second twin came to his left side and yanked the back of his sleeveless shirt upwards, exposing his bare back to the ceiling, shoulder bone and all. Hajime willed himself to be strong.

 

“Didn’t you know, Iwaizumi?” Atsumu teased. “Friday the 13th is one of the most unlucky days of the year.”

 

The bucket was tipped, and Hajime only had half a second to gasp before boiling hot water was poured against the skin of his back.

“ _Ah!!!_ ”

Blisters began to boil on contact, quickly turning into melting flesh, which then turned into a breakdown of Iwaizumi’s muscles, burning right down to his very bones. It crinkled and splattered and popped, eating through the skin like a virus. Within a good twenty-seconds of pouring, Iwaizumi’s back become numb from the pain, though he could still feel the new exposure of his spinal cord and ribs as the water cascaded over his body. The water seemed to be never-ending, despite the bucket only being a normal bucket—Atsumu must have poured for at least a minute and a half, going over the already-crisped over skin to ensure that it became bone instead. Hajime, as proud and as much willpower as he had, couldn’t hold back his cries, the tears pooling in his eyes, the pain was just _too much_ ; he could feel every inch of his skin burning black, then disintegrating like it had never existed, leaving the air and hot water to seep into his insides. There was crusted blood already staining his sides, the ground beneath him, only having a second to be liquid before turning into scabs and sores—hurt was a terrible, cruel understatement.

He was sure he was dying. He _had_ to be dying. There was no way he could survive something like this—but by the time the bucket ran out of water, Iwaizumi’s entire back was a skeleton, and he was still alive.

 

The only thing holding him together was the bits and pieces of muscle still in-tact on his sides. Atsumu stepped back, watching as their slave suffered, satisfied with his work.

 

“Well,” Osamu said casually, brushing himself off as Hajime gasped and sputtered beneath them. “I think we’ve all learned a valuable lesson about Friday the 13th today.”

“Indeed, brother, we have.” Atsumu leaned down to Iwaizumi’s level. “What did _you_ learn today, Iwa-chan?”

Hajime could only reply with a cry of pain as the first tear escaped his tightly shut eyes.

“That’s what I thought…when you can get up, you are dismissed. Nice chatting with you, as always, Iwaizumi!”

 

The second the twins turned their backs, the corpse forced himself upwards with what little strength he had left, pulled his shirt back down with a yelp of agonizing pain, and stumbled out of the office.

 

Poor Iwaizumi cried the entire way back to his room, thoughts a mess, shirt tugging on his injuries as to further his agony; another severe blow to his emotional pain was the appearance of Oikawa, who was waiting at the corpse’s bedroom door, eager to see what happened to his friend.

Iwaizumi couldn’t stand the sight of him, the pain too much for him—he was so ashamed. Ashamed of what he was, how pathetically desperate he was for friends, ashamed of how foolish he had been, how he had actually let himself have friends when he knew the consequences would be terrible…Iwaizumi was so ashamed he couldn’t look at Tooru. He didn’t want him to see his disgusting self, his exposed bones, his dry, cracked skin, the injures marring his features, and the large, sickening exposure of his back that used to be covered in muscled, tan skin…he didn’t want anyone seeing him.

Iwaizumi was angry because of his shame, and hurried past Oikawa without a single explanation, shutting the door on his face.

Hinata and Kageyama huddled in fear as Hajime stormed into the room, in incredible pain and terrible anger. He lifted his pathetic bed up and threw it against the opposite wall. He tore up the pathetic straw pillow and the pathetic sheets he had made himself. He took the pathetic stone statue he had made of himself as an act of comfort and shattered it into a million pieces. Tooru, outside the door, heard all of this—

 

The sound that stuck out the most was Iwaizumi’s crying.

 

Tooru’s vampire hearing allowed him to pick out that sound from the others, and part of him wished he couldn’t hear at all. The frustrated whimpers and gasps were so agonizingly painful to listen to that Oikawa hurried away after only a few minutes of eavesdropping; with guilt in his heart, he went back to his room, and practically did the same thing Iwaizumi was doing.

 _Pathetic_ , Hajime thought as the last of his strength punched his mattress one more time. _Pathetic Iwaizumi…pathetic bastard…pathetic._

The corpse’s hand went limp against the fabric.

 

Hinata and Kageyama noticed the sudden silence of the room, peeking out from their spot to see that the only noise was the sound of Hajime’s lingering sniffles, the last of his sobs. He was kneeling in front of his mess, eyes closed loosely; Hinata dared to creep out, despite Kageyama’s silent warnings, and quietly crept over to nudge Iwaizumi’s elbow with his wet little nose.

 

After a long, quiet moment, Iwaizumi’s hand went down to lay on Hinata’s head.

 

Kageyama came limping forward a bit later, lying down beside Hajime’s stomach while the werewolf curled up under his arms, letting himself be petted asleep. Their owner didn’t say a word, didn’t tell them about his troubles; he just softly stroked their fur, comforting them from their earlier fear of his power, and blew out the candle. The trio laid in the mess he made, and didn’t think about cleaning it up.

 

Hajime didn’t cry for the rest of the night. He had no tears remaining.

 

~~~

The following morning, at exactly 12 AM, October 14th, after an endless four hours of nothing but restlessness, Iwaizumi went back to his job, and began taking the nazars down. He swept all the salt up, dusted off the mirrors and quietly went about placing them back into their original spots; he figured he had better clean them spotless, to avoid further punishment from the twins, and subconsciously left Oikawa’s for last.

His back wound wasn’t fresh anymore, and yet, Iwaizumi had never been in so much pain.

 _Guess I’d better knock_ , Hajime thought dimly, walking up to Tooru’s door. _I don’t want to be sneaking around his suite like I do to the other guests…he’ll probably tease me about wanting to find his underwear or something. I don’t need that. I need to do this quickly and efficiently, to avoid further rumors about us._

_…If “us” even exists._

 

Iwaizumi knocked softly on the door. No one answered, so he quietly crept inside to clean Oikawa’s mirror.

 

Thankfully, the vampire’s bedroom shades were closed, so Hajime could go forward without seeing or being seen by Tooru. He was walking slowly from his back injury, and didn’t need to be questioned or described as weak, which he already knew was true. Noticing the notes for the article only deepened the ache in his chest, so Iwaizumi hurried over to the mirror, and had his arm raised to wipe when he was met with an alarming sight.

Tooru’s mirror was completely _shattered_ , and there was blood on the shards of glass.

“What the…”

The mirror had been broken right in the middle, as if someone hit the object with something; little did Hajime know that the something was Oikawa’s fist, an act he committed after believing his own vanity to be the cause for everyone’s misfortunes that day. Suddenly concerned for Tooru’s well being, and terrified of the power of 13, Iwaizumi hurried over to the bedroom to peek through the shades.

Thankfully, he was not met with a bloody sight, but rather a sleeping vampire with a purple eyemask over his eyes with pumpkins printed on the fabric.

 

For the first time since the punishment, Iwaizumi let himself relax. If he had learned anything from this experience, it wasn’t that Tooru was even cuter with drool on his lips—it was that the power of Halloween was not to be messed with. The power was too strong, too deep rooted, especially in haunted places such as these. Iwaizumi confirmed this fact as he quietly closed Oikawa’s door, leaving the vampire in peace, and closing himself off from the magnificent sight, like he always did. He couldn’t help but think of poor Candy, her untimely death, and the unspeakable amount of damning sorrow that caused her husband to vanish from the face of the earth.

Apparently, it was possible for someone to die of a broken heart. Maybe not physically, but Igor was definitely not living anymore. He probably hadn’t lived since the day he found Candy in the woods. The thought sent another sharp stab through Iwaizumi’s chest.

 

_I will fear Friday the 13 th for the rest of my days._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos!


	5. Costumes: October 15th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An extra guest invite is sent out.

_~October 15 th: 16 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

Two days passed with no contact between Iwaizumi and Oikawa.

 

Iwaizumi was trying to keep to himself, avoiding trouble at all costs, although he admittedly checked on Makki to see if he was okay, and asked if Issei’s hair was still falling out, which, thankfully, it wasn’t. Since the witches were back in action, and since nothing could be done about the wedding flowers and other decorations until Yahaba the wedding planner arrived, Hajime busied himself with Hanamaki’s wedding dress.

Atsumu had told the engaged couple that there was a seamstress in the motel who had worked there for decades; this was a lie to get them to have their wedding at the motel, of course, but luckily, Iwaizumi was skilled enough in sewing to create the dress Makki had had designed. The dress fit the theme, black in color, orange tulle as an accent of the bottom layer, raven feathers making up the sleek outline that would cling to the bride’s fairly-built body perfectly, accented by a lace train, all topped off with fingerless black sleeves made of spider webs (minus the spiders), Matsukawa’s light aqua diamond ring, and fabulously haunting body makeup for his collarbones and shoulders. Iwaizumi couldn’t wait to see it finished, and worked well into the mid-afternoon before he decided to take the half-finished gown straight to Hanamaki, just to make sure it fit before he began adding the feathers.

As Hajime walked the long walk up to the main motel area, he walked in discomfort; it always took some time for him to adjust to his new skeleton areas, but this…this was severe. Iwaizumi didn’t think he’d be comfortable for a long, _long_ while. His entire back was exposed to everything—weather was now an issue, _clothing_ was now an issue (though he wouldn’t mind walking around without a shirt on, he figured it was against the motel’s policy), and now, poor Iwa-chan had another physical trait to be ashamed of, to be worried about, terrified that someone might see, that they might berate him for something that wasn’t his fault…

Mostly, Hajime was scared of the future.

What if someone was vain enough to say they loved him despite all his skeleton areas? What if their acceptance tricked Iwaizumi into reluctantly marrying them? What if someone was really into him, only to touch his back while they were walking or kissing and realize how freaky it was having a decaying _thing_ as their boyfriend? If he couldn’t even look at himself in the mirror…how could anyone else?

 

 _Don’t think about it_ , Iwaizumi told himself as he rounded a corner, releasing a deep breath, like he had been doing quite often. _Be proud. Don’t be ashamed. There’s nothing to be ashamed about. This is your kind. These things happen to decaying corpses. Just…don’t think—_

 

Hajime stopped dead in his tracks. The person had tried ducking behind a different wall, but Iwaizumi had seen him long enough to recognize those widened chestnut eyes who could only belong to Oikawa Tooru.

 

Iwaizumi tried swallowing, but found himself paralyzed in place; the vampire was glued to the wall, having found who he was searching for, but not wanting to impose on the corpse’s alone time, remained quiet. Within the past two days he had come up with multiple theories surrounding Hajime’s sudden emotional breakdown—all of his theories involved the Miya twins, who were acted same in the past few days, which was not a good sign. Oikawa didn’t know what they had done to poor Iwa-chan, but he desperately wanted to help, especially after hearing him cry like he did the night of the 13th.

Despite his determination, Tooru found himself unable to go forward, and thus, hid behind the wall waiting for Iwaizumi to make the first move.

 _He looks different_ , the vampire noted sadly, biting his lip anxiously as silence filled the space between them. _He seems different. I know a minute can change a person, but it’s been two days; what if he’s changed too much? What if whatever happened changed him in a drastic way?_

“Oi,” Iwaizumi forced out. “Crappykawa—are you out looking for trouble again?”

_I guess he hasn’t changed in one way…_

Tooru peeked over the wall with a charming smile that Hajime was secretly very affected by. For how shitty and dark his past two days had been, Oikawa’s asshole smile was like the brightest sun. The vampire strolled forward cautiously, obviously caring very much about Iwaizumi’s condition; when the corpse didn’t stop him from coming over to him, Toru smiled again, and answered the question.

“Of course not, Iwa-chan! I’m not really a trouble-making kind of guy—you should know this by now, we’ve known each other for almost three weeks now.”

“Yeah. I guess I shouldn’t have asked for your opinion…I knew you would lie.”

“I’m not a liar, Iwa-chan!”

Hajime snorted.

“Whatever,” Tooru huffed, crossing his arms. “Meanie Iwa-chan…”

 

A deep, unsettling silence fell between them, questions hanging in the air for all to see. Oikawa wanted to ask so many, wanted to ask how he was, why he had shut him out, why he had been avoiding him for the past two days, what the Miya twins did to him…Tooru kept avoiding eye contact, which was extremely odd for the flirt, and Iwaizumi couldn’t stop himself from slyly checking the vampire out; could you blame him? For two days he did nothing but insult and abuse his own physicality, and now that this stupid journalist (who happened to be very handsome) was in front of him, he couldn’t stop admiring. All the work he had done in the past 48 hours, all the minutes he had spent convincing himself he didn’t like the vampire…it was all undone. He felt a weight be lifted off his shoulders upon seeing the young writer. He wasn’t jealous of Oikawa’s smooth, unmarred skin. He wasn’t jealous of his immortality. He wasn’t jealous of his dashing good looks and perfectly styled hair. He looked over Tooru’s frame, his eyes, his hands, his shoulders, his big feet and long legs, his nose, even, and became very worried.

He was worried about two things—number one: Oikawa would never be his.

Number two: Oikawa would never _want_ to be his.

 

The two accidently made eye-contact, prompting both to blush and clear their throats; Tooru tried turning his personality back on, but found himself helpless and vulnerable to Iwaizumi’s lingering eyes. The corpse decided that an apology was in order, and spoke first.

 

“Sorry for slamming the door on your face,” Hajime mumbled softly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “And sorry I missed our interview sessions for the past two days…I was— _busy_ —”

“Say no more, Iwa-chan.” The vampire interrupted. “I’m not the kind of person who holds grudges, so you have nothing to worry about.”

Iwaizumi moved his eyebrows in disbelief, but wasn’t about to turn his conversation with Oikawa into an argument so soon. His two days of isolation had made him even more desperate for friendship, now that he technically had three added to the list; those two days had been torture in more ways than just his mentality surrounding himself. He was so desperate for someone to comfort him, to help him out, even if it was just Hanamaki or Matsukawa giving him a rough pat on the back; he wanted Oikawa, who he _knew_ had sensitivity and sympathy buried under his barely tolerable personality, to come to him and speak quietly, saying “It’ll be okay, Iwa-chan,” because he knows that it takes a lot more than just a bad day to make Iwaizumi Hajime cry like a baby.

He wanted his friends to be there for him.

 

Instead of telling Oikawa that, Iwaizumi asked him something.

 

“What are you doing today?”

“Me?” Tooru questioned in surprise, finally looking into his eyes. “Um…well I finished the first half of my article, so I was just going hunting for more inspiration. The second half focuses on Makki and Mattsun, so I was going to ask them some questions, even though I already know the answers…”

“I’m on my way there right now,” Hajime said. “Why don’t we save time and go together?”

“Okay!” Oikawa lit up. “But why are _you_ going to them, Iwa-chan? Are you working on the center pieces or something?”

“No; I need Hanamaki to try on his wedding dress for the first time.”

Tooru gasped loudly, and his greedy hands immediately went to touch the covered dress in Iwaizumi’s arms; he was slapped away by the corpse and began complaining right away, how he deserved to see it first, because he was the best man, because he “needed information for the article.” Iwaizumi refused his advances, and secretly enjoyed the fact that he got to spend an entire walk arguing with Oikawa.

“At least let me hold it for you, Iwa-chan.”

“No.”

“Iwa-chan!”

“Stop pulling on it!”

“Don’t be so difficult!”

Honestly, Hajime was being protective of the dress because yes, he did work very hard on the outline and wanted Hanamaki to be the only one to touch it, but he was also afraid that in their scuffle, Oikawa would accidently come in contact with his back. He was walking carefully to ensure that his sleeveless shirt didn’t reveal the backside of his shoulders and armpits, but found that life wasn’t meant for stepping around everything. Tooru was just glad he and Iwaizumi could talk like normal; he was so afraid that the corpse had grown depressed beyond saving that when this proved to be false, he couldn’t stop talking and “accidently” nudging Hajime.

The pair talked casually until they made it to the honeymoon suite of Hanamaki and Matsukawa—Oikawa was about to walk right in, but Iwaizumi stopped him by knocking politely.

“So naïve, Iwa-chan.” Tooru said, rolling his eyes.

“So rude, Shittykawa.” Hajime retaliated. “I guess I should expect nothing less from someone so self-absorbed.”

The vampire opened the door with a laugh; just as he went to speak again, about to comment on the lavish setting of his friends’ room, a strange noise made them both pause and look forward, locking on the exact same point in the room—they were met by a scarring scene, a clear image that would be burned into their memories forever, one that would probably be the memory they remembered whenever someone mentioned their engagement.

 

Makki and Mattsun were having _sex_.

 

The pair were completely naked, right in the center of the large king-sized bed, and Hanamaki, even though his ankle was injured, seemed to be moving quite well on Matsukawa’s lap, where the pair were engaged in a passionate, loving kiss; Mattsun’s large tan hands were holding the smaller boy’s body as close as possible, while Makki’s were grabbing at his fiancé’s neck, urging him forward as their thrusting motions continued down below. The kiss broke abruptly when the larger zombie moved his hands down to Hanamaki’s ass, getting a moan from the bride to be, and causing Oikawa’s eyes to become as wide as saucers in realization.

 

_O-Oh my god!_

 

Tooru stumbled over a less-shocked Iwaizumi and quickly closed the door, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not interrupt the couple’s moment. The awkward silence was broken by Hajime after a few seconds.

“…I guess we’ll just come back later, then.”

Iwaizumi backed away from the door and glanced over at Oikawa, who, to his surprise, was blushing _furiously_ over having caught his friends doing the do.

“What’s wrong?” Hajime laughed, unable to stop himself from blushing as well. “Engaged couples have sex—and like you haven’t seen them doing that before.”

“Of course, but that doesn’t mean I _enjoy_ _it_!” Tooru cried in embarrassment, turning his face away from the corpse. Iwaizumi was pleasantly shocked at the vampire’s timidness. “It’s just weird being with _someone else_ when you find them like that!”

“Well, yeah, b—”

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud series of moans coming from behind the lover’s suite, prompting both boys to hurry down the hallway, eager to avoid more awkwardness, though it followed them long after they escaped the third floor. Iwaizumi tried to focus on the wrapped wedding dress in his hands, but he couldn’t look at the gown without seeing Hanamaki’s naked body. Oikawa was trying to get Matsukawa’s hairy bare legs out of his mind, but every time he looked at the carpet, that was what he saw instead.

 

Reluctantly, they realized the only distraction they had was each other.

 

Tooru secretly glanced over at Iwaizumi, his face still bright red with embarrassment; the corpse was looking anywhere but him, trying to seem busy with the wedding dress. Oikawa bit his lip, and before he could stop himself, a question spilled out.

“Do you ever think about it?”

Hajime almost choked on his own tongue.

“W-What?” He stuttered, looking over at the vampire in shock. “Think about what?”

“ _You know_ …”

“Sex?”

Oikawa covered his face again.

“ _Yes_ , Iwa-chan, _sex_!”

“What do you mean ‘do I think about it’? Doesn’t everyone think about it at some point?”

“I don’t know! I was just trying to make conversation!” Tooru wailed dramatically. “I mean…we did just see our two best friends doing it…I’ve walked in on them too many times, so I was just wondering if _everyone_ had never-ending sex drives, or if I just happen to be friends with the most sexually active zombies on the planet.”

 

Iwaizumi wasn’t sure what shocked him more; the fact that Oikawa Tooru, probably a sex-god himself, was asking him if HE thought about sex, or the fact that he had said “ _our_ two _best_ _friends_.”

 

Hajime went quiet for a moment, increasing Tooru’s agony. Did he think about sex? Sure. Did he ever seriously consider the fact that he might have to prepare for having sex one day? No. Sometimes he thought about it not in a dirty way, but in a sensual, romantic type of way that would probably make Oikawa tease him for all of eternity. Then again, with how the vampire was blushing himself, Iwaizumi figured he might get away with being a sap.

“Mm…I guess I think about it.” Hajime answered with a shrug. “Not _excessively_ …I’m not really sure how to answer that, though.”

Oikawa thought he would nod in understanding, but he was too busy thinking over the corpse’s words. It sounded as if…almost like…it was almost like Iwa-chan was _referring_ to someone when he said he thought about sex.

“Do you think about sex?” He threw back.

“No! I mean—well, _yes_ , I do, but not _excessively_ like Makki and Mattsun probably do.” Tooru claimed, crossing his arms. “I mean, I think about it when I _have_ sex, but other than that, only sometimes—”

The vampire’s explanation was cut short by Iwaizumi’s bark of laughter. Oikawa quickly looked over, and found a smile coming to his face when he was gifted the image of the corpse laughing his head off.

“ _I_ _think about it when I HAVE sex!_ ” Hajime quoted, bending over from how hard his laughs were. “Well I would _hope_ you would be thinking about it during sex!”

“Don’t mock me, Iwa-chan! Rude! You’re so rude!”

Iwaizumi couldn’t even respond. He was leaning against the motel wall for support as he tried to contain his amusement, while Tooru grinned and shook his head, hoping to savor each giggle that escaped the corpse’s soft lips. His heart was soaring at the noise, having only ever heard grumbles and sarcastic remarks from Hajime; after the shit they went through on the 13th, this sound was heavenly. By the time Iwaizumi recovered, the awkward scene was all but erased from their minds, at least until their next nightmares—Oikawa helped Iwaizumi onto his feet again, and brought up a new topic as Hajime’s candy corn symbol just about nudged into Tooru on the way up.

 

“Iwa-chan, what does this symbol mean?” The vampire asked when they began walking again. “I’ve seen the witches wear pumpkin ones, but I haven’t seen anyone else with candy corn.”

“…Oh.” Hajime mumbled, glancing down. “I’m the only one with this symbol because I’m the only laborer out of the motel workers; the candy corn is the lowest on the food chain, you could say…it means I don’t get special treatment.”

“Special treatment?” Tooru repeated in confusion.

“Like getting days off and stuff; I mean, no one really gets days off, but this basically forbids me from asking for one.”

“ _Ever_?”

“Ever.”

“That’s bullshit, Iwa-chan!”

 

Iwaizumi chuckled and nodded in agreement. They fell into their own minds once again, trekking their way down to the corpse’s little living area, where Kageyama and Hinata were probably tearing each other’s hair out again.

 

 _I’m glad he isn’t making it obvious that he noticed I’m different today_ , Hajime thought to himself, accidently brushing elbows with the vampire. _He’s STILL blushing over walking-in on Hanamaki and Mattsun…what a virgin. Obviously he’s not, but it would be interesting if he were. Speaking of which…I wonder (hypothetically) if Oikawa would put up a fight if I were to want to top if we had sex. He would totally ruin the moment by starting an argument, the bastard…_

_In actuality, I would ruin things before we even got to that point just by being myself._

Tooru, meanwhile, wasn’t thinking so much about sex as he was about Iwaizumi crying two days ago.

 _What could make him cry like that?_ He asked himself for the hundredth time. _Hinata didn’t die, and Kageyama, unfortunately, is still alive…it couldn’t have just been simple insults from the twins, could it? Iwaizumi’s has more pride than that, he wouldn’t let their words penetrate him so easily; but what could it be, then? Did they threaten him? Did they harm him? I didn’t see any bruises…he is kind of keeping his back away from me, but I don’t know what that means…_

Anger that had been engulfing him since the morning of October 14th overwhelmed him again, and Oikawa tried to contain it before Iwaizumi noticed the sudden clench of his fists.

_If those brats hurt Iwa-chan…they’re going to pay._

 

When the pair made it to Iwaizumi’s door, they remembered the presence of the other, accidently made eye-contact, then accidently _maintained_ the eye-contact for a solid thirty-seconds without saying a word.

 

“So,” Hajime coughed. “Um…if you want, you can watch me make the rest of the wedding party’s outfits. Your suit is in here as well, so…you could see how it’s coming along so far—if you want.”

“Oh, are you sure I wouldn’t be imposing? I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble, I’m sure a guest isn’t supposed to be wandering this far under the motel…”

Iwaizumi’s back burned on command, and yet, his next words gave Tooru his blessing.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” He said with a shrug, opening the door for the vampire. “Come in.”

 

Oikawa noticed the hopelessness of the words, but still politely stepped through the doorway.

 

Nothing seemed to have changed in Iwaizumi’s room, but Tooru had heard the crashes, and knew that he must have cleaned-up his room beforehand; Hinata greeted him cheerfully, running circles around his legs until Oikawa sighed and gave him a two-finger pat on the head, which satisfied him, and he ran to Iwa-chan next, who scooped him up into a rough hug. Tooru’s eyes scanned over the bedroom, noting that the bed was newly made (literally, with new straw and everything), the rugs were newly cleaned, and that—

Shining blue eyes bore onto Oikawa, who blatantly ignored the black creature and went over to the costumes instead, immediately finding Matsukawa’s suit and running his hands over the fabric gently.

“These are amazing, Iwa-chan.” Tooru complimented sincerely, looking over at the corpse with wide eyes. “You really made these yourself?”

“Well, I had my friend Kunimi collect the right cotton and fabric; he’s a pixie, so he knows where everything is in the forest.”

“A pixie, you say? …That’s interesting.”

“Not really…” Iwaizumi replied slowly. “Pixies do exist in our world, Oikawa.”

“It’s only interesting because pixies are beautiful, are they not?” Tooru smiled. “And it just so happens that the person Yahaba-kun assigned as the flower boy refused to do it, and Makki and Mattsun are in need of a replacement! Do you think he would do it if we asked?”

Iwaizumi thought about the Kunimi he knew for only a second before answering.

“Not without a considerable amount of compensation.”

“Consider it done! Will you talk to him for us?”

“Fine.”

“Yay! Isn’t bartering fun, Iwa-chan?”

 

Hajime sighed to himself and sat down on the floor where he had left off, asking Tooru to hand him Matsukawa’s tuxedo. The vampire did so with careful hands, and sat back against the wall across from the corpse to watch him work. Kageyama came and desperately tried to get his attention for a good five-minutes, and finally gave up once Iwaizumi called him over; Hinata was calmer than usual, and seemed a bit depressed about something. As it turns out, his low energy made the others realize how much noise he accounted for at his highest power; an hour had to have passed by in total silence as Iwaizumi worked on the tux, Tooru watching him carefully, admiring the little things about his new friend that he hadn’t had time to notice before.

Iwaizumi’s eyebrows were still slanted in an almost-scowl, but their pose was looser, maybe more relaxed than usual; the corpse’s hair was still a trainwreck, but Oikawa found it sexy now, and wondered what it would be like if he ran his hands through the thick strands at different angles. He liked how the worker’s lips were always turned downwards, but didn’t necessarily make him look to be in a terrible mood, though, judging on the unspeakable events of Friday the 13th, it made sense that he would be more irritated than usual. Tooru wondered how many times Iwaizumi had pricked his fingers on the needle, how many times he had to start over on something because he didn’t like the first result, how many times he created a breathtaking masterpiece using just his hands—the journalist wanted to know more about Hajime, but after the peaceful atmosphere created from an hour of silent working and watching, found himself not wanting to disturb their time together. He was able to keep his mouth shut for a few more minutes before letting himself begin the conversation with a lighter subject.

“So, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa said quietly, not wanting to startle the corpse. “Where’s your outfit for the wedding?”

“Don’t have one.”

“But why not? All guests are supposed to wear costumes, Iwa-chan, it’s on Halloween night!”

“I’m not allowed to go to the wedding.”

 

Tooru blinked once. Then he blinked again, and tried to clear his hearing out.

 

“Sorry…what?”

Hajime looked up at him, pausing his sewing.

“The witches and I don’t work at the wedding, and we aren’t allowed to go as guests.” He said slowly. “The skeletons and ghosts will be serving everyone that night.”

“But—that—that can’t be…that can’t be right!” The vampire exclaimed, standing up so quickly it made his head spin. Kageyama awoke from his nap to stare in wonder at Oikawa as he passionately defended Iwaizumi. “That’s just outrageous! After all you’re doing for this wedding, all you’re making and preparing for, you won’t even fight to see Makki and Mattsun get married?!”

“It’s not like I don’t want to go, Crappykawa!” Iwaizumi replied in annoyance. “That’s just the way—”

“I’m going to talk to Makki and Mattsun right now! They’ll invite you, and then those nasty twins can’t say no to their guests of honor!” Oikawa promised, heading towards the door. “Are you coming with me to plead your case, are you just going to sit down here in the dark?”

Hajime looked around the room for a moment, just now noticing that his candles were nearly burnt out. Tooru looked down at him sternly, hands on his hips expectantly; the corpse didn’t want to anger the Miya twins more than he already had. They usually didn’t go searching for him whenever they wanted to punish someone, but he had a bad feeling October wasn’t going to grant him any mercy. If that was so true…why did he really want to follow Oikawa?

“I—I…”

Iwaizumi gave another sigh.

“Okay.” He said lowly. “I’ll come with.”

 

“That’s the spirit, Iwa-chan!”

“I’m sick of that nickname already.”

“It’s a good nickname, _Iwa-chan_!”

 

Iwaizumi shivered when he remembered how Atsumu had whispered the nickname to him on that horrible day…he had to sneak by Oikawa’s room in the evenings just to replace the twins’ voice with Tooru’s so things would feel normal again. The vampire pulled him along, oblivious to the corpse’s nerves over pathetically asking if he could be a guest at their wedding; Iwaizumi was proud enough as it is, but after being humiliated by the owners, after ignoring the trio for two days, after _seeing Matsukawa and his fiancé have sex_ —

This was not going to go well for Hajime. He could feel it.

“Ah, good!” Oikawa said, jolting the corpse from his daydreams. “There’s no ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door; it must be safe to come in.”

“I think we’d better knock and stay behind the door this time.” Iwaizumi suggested.

Tooru knocked playfully on the door, and both of their faces heated-up when Makki answered the door. He was fully clothed and freshly showered, but it really didn’t matter, because their friends had seen all too much of his body hardly an hour before.

“Iwaizumi—haven’t seen you in a few days,” Hanamaki greeted casually. “Come inside; Issei and I were just having some tea.”

“Actually, we’ve got to get straight to business, Makki.” Tooru began. He put an arm around Iwaizumi, making him tense up like a metal coil and bite down a gasp. “Are you aware that Iwa-chan here is not allowed to attend your wedding, which he made the invitations for, and which he’s busting his butt over for the next few weeks?”

Hanamaki looked at Hajime, but Iwaizumi couldn’t bring himself to look back.

“What, do you have to work that night?”

“No, and that’s the worst part—we figured that Dracula 1&2 would only allow him to go if you and Mattsun yourselves asked for his presence yourself. To butter-up your decision, I would like to add that we now have a replacement flower boy, and this decision actually makes a lot more sense than our previous one, because the replacement is Iwa-chan’s pixie friend!”

“Pixie?” Mattsun said as he strolled-up, shirt unbuttoned and hair a mess. At least one of them remembered to look presentable. “That sounds a hell of a lot better than a moody werewolf.”

“Kyotani will be pleased at our decision,” Makki grinned. Iwaizumi felt all eyes on him again, and he hated it, because he was trying to figure out if Oikawa could feel his spinal cord or not. “You do want to come to the wedding, don’t you Iwaizumi? Tooru’s not just pulling our leg so he can snatch a date?”

“I…If you want me there, I would gladly come.” Hajime replied timidly. “I won’t be in anyone’s way, I—”

“Be in whoever’s way you want!” Tooru exclaimed happily. “It wouldn’t make sense for the creator of the greatest Halloween wedding of the century to not attend the ceremony and afterparty! Hanamaki and Matsukawa are going over to the twins’ office right now to discuss the reception, so we can listen in on their conversation!”

Iwaizumi opened his mouth to openly protest, but was cut-off by Hanamaki’s agreement.

“Sounds like blackmail—I’m in. Matsukawa, do you object?”

“Nope.”

“You’re so easy to please.”

“You would know.” Issei smirked slyly.

 

Oikawa and Hajime hid their blush by pretending to scratch and hear non-existent noises behind them; reluctantly, the corpse followed behind the plotting trio as they went down to the main floor, hoping to convince the vampire twins of their servant’s attending the future Halloween wedding. Their argument was simple, but strong—Tooru was convinced they would get what they wanted within a second of asking. Iwaizumi wasn’t sure it would be that quick of a process, but once again let himself be sucked into his friends’ positivity and confidence; this was a much better alternative than his brooding, self-loathing fear of every move he made…it seemed that since the arrival of the wedding group, Iwaizumi’s character had been all out of sorts, sometimes here, sometimes there, adding things, losing things…he wasn’t so sure how to “return to normal,” and wondered if he would be able to transition back into his yearly routine once Oikawa and the others left.

These were very confusing times for Hajime.

Tooru, in fact, had noticed the sharpness of the corpse’s shoulder, but decided the conversation could wait until they were in a private place, where he would be free to cry as much as he wished. For now, he was going to wait by the door with Iwa-chan, and see if he and his friends could successfully secure poor-overworked Iwaizumi a place at their wedding, which he loyally helped create.

 

 _Please_ , Oikawa prayed, sneaking a glance at the corpse. _Please give Iwa-chan one night off._

 

~~~-~~~

 

The sneaking pair had to wait a long half-hour before Hanamaki finally found a spot near the end of their conversation with the twins to mention the number of guests at the wedding. Oikawa and Hajime were sitting against a wall down the hall around the corner, waiting and listening for the answer they so desperately wanted to hear.

“You said the dining hall can hold a hundred people, right?” Makki confirmed.

“Yes, yes, and even more than that, if a few extra guests show up.” Atsumu said.

“Ah, good—say, is Iwaizumi going to be there?” Hanamaki asked casually. “I’d like him to be there so he can see all of his creations in one place, you know?”

 

The pause following made Hajime’s heart drop, even though he expected nothing more. Oikawa wanted to grab his hand and squeeze in reassurance, but felt that such an act would make the corpse uncomfortable.

Tooru did it anyway, and slid his hand over Iwaizumi’s left one, not flinching when he felt the bone skeleton of his pinky finger.

Hajime nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden contact, his panic making him accidently squeeze the vampire’s cold hand tighter. He looked down with wide eyes, terrified at this physical contact—the only contact he ever ran into was with animals, and if he so happened to nudge into someone, it was usually only a shoulder brush. This…was nothing like Iwaizumi had _EVER_ experienced before. It was pleasant, it was gentle, and most importantly, it was _comforting_. Their hands fit together nicely, and even though Iwaizumi had zero experience in this category, he couldn’t help but feel like the match was perfectly made; Oikawa’s long pale fingers were wrapped around his smaller, thicker palm, holding on tightly, almost like he thought Hajime was close to tears. He wasn’t too far off, but Iwaizumi wouldn’t let him know that…at least not yet.

The corpse didn’t know what to think as the pair sat on the motel carpet, holding hands in silence.

 _He…He…What?_ Iwaizumi thought.

 _Is this too much?! I don’t know why I did it!_ Oikawa thought frantically. _Um…no, no, it’s fine, we’re fine, we’re just…_

 

“Um…” Hajime mumbled quietly, making the vampire jump in surprise.

“I don’t know,” Tooru mumbled back, looking away with a fierce blush. “Just…hold on, Iwa-chan. It’ll be okay, no matter what the twins say.”

He looked over at Iwaizumi, whose eyes were as wide as a full moon.

“Alright?” Oikawa forced out.

Hajime nodded blankly, and let the warmth of his hand spread to his entire body.

 

“…If it is your wish, then yes, Iwaizumi will be at the wedding.” Osamu agreed slowly, alerting the two back to their situation. “We’ll make sure he isn’t too much of a distraction…wouldn’t want him stealing the thunder from our honored guests of October.”

Iwaizumi thought his heart was going to jump right out of the hole in front of it from how much his spirit lifted with that single statement—his grip on Tooru’s hand unintentionally tightened, making the vampire feel how he had changed with such a simple invitation. Oikawa guessed this was the first time Iwa-chan had ever been…well…allowed time with his friends. His _only_ friends, his new friends that were only about a week old. It was exciting for Tooru, having been invited to a vampire reunion that occurs every comet as an honored guest, and yet, he found himself now more excited for Iwaizumi than he had been for himself in that moment.

“Haha, great! Well, we’ll talk to you later. The wedding’s just around the corner, you know.”

“Everything will be perfect, I’m sure.” Atsumu said. “You mustn’t worry about a thing.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Matsukawa joked.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi stumbled back behind the hallway when the four emerged from the office; their hands fell apart, each soul noticing an empty gust of air where their hands parted. They looked over at each other, blushing as they did so, trying to ignore everything that was happening about the current situation.

If only it were that easy.

“Have a nice afternoon you two,” Atsumu cooed as the couple began to walk down the hall away from the eavesdroppers. “Make sure you come down for dinner tonight! Suguru-kun is making chili.”

“Yum! Matsukawa, chili’s your favorite!”

“Yup.”

“At least pretend to be excited.”

“Whoop whoop.”

With one final farewell, Hanamaki and Matsukawa retreated back to their room, probably to have more “fun” until dinner later that night, and the office door of the twins closed again, shutting the boys in with their whispers and displeasure at Iwaizumi now being invited to the wedding of the century. The hallway became strangely silent, filled with both relief and happiness, but awkwardness and nerves; Oikawa peered over at the corpse, whose expression was a sight that made the vampire smile—Hajime’s eyes were bright with eagerness, glowing from the realization that for once, he was going to get a night off to do whatever he wished. Of course, it was made clear that Iwaizumi would essentially have to become invisible for a night, but he would take that challenge if it meant being able to attend Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s wedding, a wedding that he helped create, piece by piece, not watching from a high window in the motel, looking down at all the joy and love.

 _I get to go to a wedding!_ Iwaizumi thought cheerfully, letting a smile appear on his lips. _That’s so cool…I, Iwaizumi Hajime, get to go to a Halloween wedding where two zombies are getting married. How cool is that?!_

 

“…Sooooo,” Tooru prompted suspiciously, breaking the corpse from his daydream. “Since I got you invited to the wedding…does this mean you’ll let me see Makki’s—”

“Nope.”

“Iwa-chan, no fair!”

 

~~~-~~~

 

Later this day, when Iwaizumi was finally starting to feel a bit better about himself, he ran into one of the older witches as he searched a storage room for a mannequin stand for Hanamaki’s dress.

Obviously his head was still reeling from the whole “hand holding” incident with Tooru, even though his afternoon should have been filled with anticipating thoughts about the upcoming wedding he was now invited to as an honored guest (at least in the eyes of Makki and Mattsun); Hajime couldn’t stop the lingering burn on his left pinky, the entire area of his top hand, and truthfully, he didn’t want to. He _liked_ warmth. He liked _Oikawa’s_ warmth, and he couldn’t get it out of his head.

 _Why would he do that?_ Iwaizumi wondered curiously, trying to keep his smile from becoming too obvious as he dug through the dark shadows of the room. _That was just…random. His first instinct was to grab my hand? How weird…what a romantic vampire nerd. I mean, I was nervous, but apparently he was nervous for me, because he initiated the hand holding—what does that mean? That he—pf. No. That’s ridiculous…Oikawa doesn’t care about me. That’s silly of me to think._

Hajime moved a few more boxes out of the way.

_…But why else would he hold your hand?_

 

“Corpse.”

 

Iwaizumi physically jumped into the air upon hearing the witch behind him. He bolted around, ready to defend himself, and found one of the elder maids standing in the doorway, her hazy black eyes locked on Hajime; she seemed to be profiling him, and whether or not she found what she was looking for, Iwaizumi didn’t know. His heart had been racing in his chest at the remembrance of Oikawa’s hand, but now it was sprinting full speed ahead, anxiously awaiting what would happen next as he was stared down.

“What—What do you want?” Iwaizumi asked.

“One who walks with the cold feet shall forever be mincemeat,” The witch continued, her scratchy voice sending a shiver over Hajime’s spine as it spread through the shadows in the room. “That journalist is no friend to you, or to any other.”

Normally, having dealt with the witches’ bullshit for quite some time now, Iwaizumi would simply nod and walk away—but the mention of Oikawa and his cold-footed kind made him pause. If this old witch knew about his endeavors with Tooru, that meant _all_ the witches knew about his endeavors with Tooru; rumors spread like wildflowers with their kind, a fact which became the cause of their own demise many times throughout history. Iwaizumi now knew who ratted him out to the Miya twins, and felt a sear of rage jolt around inside him, beginning with the bare bones of his back. Before he could open his mouth to retaliate, the witch spoke again.

“The Night of the Living Dead is not a good time for feelings, dear one.” She warned, pointing a bony finger at the corpse. “Those cold ones…they have already hurt you here, and now, you are letting them hurt you on the outside as well. I advise against any communication with the winking one.”

The witch turned around without blinking.

“Ah…breaking these precautions could be bloody. Halloween will be very interesting indeed…”

 

Hajime watched the witch leave, not sparing him another glance; it was like he was already too far away for her to save.

 

Not five-seconds later, before Iwaizumi could even form a thought over what just happened, Matsukawa came lumbering inside the room.

“Hey; I was looking for you. That witch lady said you were here, but I thought she was pulling my leg, so I wandered for a bit.” Mattsun shrugged. “Are you busy?”

“Um…no. What do you need?”

“Well, Oikawa said you were going to fit Hanamaki for his wedding dress later, so I thought I could try my tux on for a size, if you have it ready.”

“Oh—okay. Yeah, that’s fine. Let’s go.”

 

The zombie and the decaying corpse accompanied each other back to Iwaizumi’s room, and thankfully, he didn’t have time to be embarrassed about his living conditions, because he couldn’t stop thinking about what the witch had said about Oikawa. _I guess I never really thought about the fact that he’s a vampire_ , Hajime thought with a frown, letting Matsukawa into his little room, where they were greeted by Hinata and Kageyama, who stopped their fight for a short time to be petted by the giant zombie. _I mean, I used to be afraid of the Miya twins or Suguru coming into my room and sucking my blood, but ever since they made it clear that I’m nothing more than a worker to them, I haven’t really had to worry. It’s not like my blood would taste good anyway…I am half dead. What vampire would want cold blood?_ _Well, maybe they do like cold blood—I don’t know shit about vampires, so how am I supposed to make that call?_

Iwaizumi managed to keep his questions to himself for a while, long enough to get Mattsun into his half-sewed tux; the sleeves were still only pinned to the rest of the fabric, so they had to be very careful with their movements. There was no mirror of any kind in the corpse’s room, but he figured that was better anyway, since Matsukawa would look his best on the day of his wedding, when the suit was finally finished. Iwaizumi re-pinned the sleeves and pants so they fit him perfectly, and only when silence fell between the two did he remember his earlier questions.

“Can I ask you something, Matsukawa?” Hajime prompted.

“Sure thing.”

“Oikawa’s a vampire…and Hanamaki said he drinks O blood, right?”

“Right.”

“I was just wondering…where does he get that type of blood from?”

 

Mattsun looked at the corpse thoughtfully for a second, then gave him a small smile.

 

“He doesn’t suck it up from innocent humans, if that’s what you were worried about.”

“Just wondering,” Iwaizumi shrugged, pinning another section of the fabric. “He doesn’t seem to be the same type of vampire as the twins and Suguru are.”

“No,” Issei laughed. “He’s not like any other vampire type I’ve ever seen…essentially, the only advantage Oikawa uses to the fullest is immortality. He doesn’t use his supreme strength over humans, he doesn’t take out revenge on people he doesn’t like by killing their loves ones…he just makes himself more good looking with each passing decade. It’s annoying, really—I mean, what kind of person can look that good at around 300 years old?”

Iwaizumi agreed with the fact that Oikawa was attractive before he could realize what he was admitting to.

“Yeah…that is pretty ridiculous.”

“He’s definitely a strange one, that Oikawa Tooru.” Mattsun sighed. “Despite his unfair charm and talent, he’s a good friend, but you didn’t hear it from me.”

“Got it,” Hajime chuckled. “It wouldn’t do him good to know that we think of him so highly.”

“He’s really impressed with you, Iwaizumi.” The zombie commented, making Iwaizumi break out of his daydreams. “He was telling us all about your knowledge of the motel, how great of a storyteller you are…it was pretty annoying, but it’s refreshing to know that he does acknowledge the talents of other people once in a while. Just be careful about how nice you are to him—you’ve already entered the nickname phase, so I wouldn’t go any further than that, or risk your pride and your patience for all of eternity.”

 

Iwaizumi tried to laugh with Mattsun, but found himself unable to do anything but glow over the fact that _Oikawa Tooru_ was really impressed with him.

 

“I’d better get back to Makki,” Matsukawa said, breaking the corpse’s train of thought. “He’ll kill me if I leave him to suffer through supper alone.”

“Right. Well…I’ll have your tux done in time for the wedding; you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Thanks, Iwaizumi—I really appreciate all the work you’re putting into us.” Issei said sincerely, slipping the suit jacket off carefully. “I hope we’re entertaining enough for you…I know being a handy-man at a motel can’t be the most exciting job in the world.”

“I get along just fine,” Iwaizumi shrugged with a smile. “But it is nice having such a friendly distraction.”

Mattsun shook the corpse’s hand, and was almost able to feel the pride oozing from Hajime’s skin.

“I’ll escort you to dinner—I’m sure Atsumu will have my skin if he finds out I let you wander back on your own.”

“Oikawa will be pleased to know how much of a gentleman you are.”

 

Iwaizumi’s face burned at that comment, but he did his best to avoid letting the zombie see (it was in vain, but Mattsun thought the attempt was humorous). They chatted about the upcoming warlock games in November, then about the creepy way the witches stared at them whenever they walked through the motel; the young men had a lot in common with each other, and Hajime felt his need for friendship growing with each moment.

It was just as terrifying now as it had felt a week before.

“See you later, Iwaizumi!” Mattsun called as he ran off to join Makki in the dining hall.

“See you!”

Hajime momentarily forgot about what he and Tooru had walked in on earlier in the day as he happily watched the couple hold hands and stroll through the dining hall; his hand, once again, warmed with his own memory of hand holding, which prompted a new thought from the corpse.

 

_It won’t hurt to do a little research, right?_

 

Iwaizumi sidestepped and slipped into the motel’s conveniently hidden library a few feet away, blocked by a randomly placed bookshelf on the main floor. He was met with a huge library, full of all the information he could ever need on vampires; he went straight to the fantasy section, found a book on the blood-sucking mythical creatures, and sat down at the reading desk. The corpse knew where the section was because he had gone there when he tried to first find information on the famous journalist upon his arrival at the motel. Although Mattsun’s comment on his friend had hinted of great differences between the types of blood suckers…

 

If Oikawa Tooru was going to continue to be Iwaizumi’s friend, even past the month of October, as Hajime was blindly assuming…he was gunna need a hell of a lot more information on vampires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just saw that I had like 5 typos in the first chapter of this fic? Oops. This is what I get when there's only 24 hours in a day, I guess; at least I go back and fix them, right? Anywhoo, thanks for reading and leaving comments/kudos! Only 16 days until Halloween, my friends...  
> (Also, you should go get obsessed with DNA by BTS because it's ADDICTIVELY WONDERFUL)


	6. October 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa gets a taste of his own medicine, Atsumu wants a Japanese snack, and Kindaichi the mummy "gets some"

_~October 20 th: 11 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

With only eleven days until the wedding, there was much to do, and a lot of the honored guests had started arriving at the Candy Cemetery Motel, including Yahaba, Makki and Mattsun’s wedding planner, and Kindaichi, one of the best men for the wedding ceremony. Yahaba the banshee was placed in a soundproof room, since he was prone to screaming in his sleep for no particular reason, and Kindaichi found himself fearfully rooming with the full-grown werewolf himself, Kyotani, whose pointy dog ears were not the most intimidating feature about him. Mad-Dog was rightfully nicknamed by Oikawa, and had put Yahaba in a tight position by throwing a fit after finding out he was listed as the flower boy, thus, leaving the spot open for Iwaizumi’s pixie friend, Kunimi, if he so humbly agreed to be a replacement.

While Yahaba looked over the décor, dining hall, and the haunting stonesteps outside the front of the motel where the ceremony would be held, Iwaizumi worked very hard on getting the costumes ready; his personal favorite was the flower boy skirt and flower crown, both made with love and actual flowers, because he thought it would look hilariously good on Kunimi. He understood that his time with Tooru would be rushed this week, due to all the new arrivals and personalities, but he cherished these small hours spent with the journalist, and found himself more involved in the article than ever.

 

Today, Yahaba was meeting with the pixie in the shared room of Kindaichi and Mad-Dog, which, admittedly, was a bad decision on his part, because Kyotani had been grumpy ever since Oikawa was there to greet them at the front of the motel castle.

 

“If you’re not polite, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Yahaba said to the werewolf, who was busy trying not to stab his rubix cube with his sharp nails. “Oikawa-san said Kunimi’s on the fence about this situation as it is, and we can’t afford any negative impressions. Okay, Kyotani?”

The werewolf grunted. Kindaichi scooted a little further away from him, noticing that he was nowhere near solving that rubix cube.

“So…when is Kunimi coming?” The youngest asked.

“He should be here any minute; I believe Iwaizumi-san said he lives in the forest alone. He’s also helping with some of the decorations for the wedding.”

“Magical pixie,” Kyotani scoffed to himself. “Tutu-wearing witches…”

“Don’t say that to his face.” Yahaba warned. “I agreed to plan this wedding for Matsukawa-san and Hanamaki-san, and it’s going to be perfect, however way they want it, because that’s what they deserve.”

“I _know_.” The werewolf growled.

“If you think for a second that I’m going to let you ruin this wedding, you’ve got another thing—”

 

A small creak of the floorboards caused everyone to look towards the entrance of the room, where Kunimi the pixie of the forest was hovering, trying to decide if he should enter or not; Kindaichi glanced over, praying for something that would save him from this argument—within a slow, _slow_ moment, both boys found their gazes turning towards each other, eyes locking immediately, and refusing to let go.

_Oh no..._

“Ah, Kunimi-kun!” Yahaba greeted with strain. “Glad you could make it!”

The pixie didn’t hear a single word.

 _Wow_ , Kindaichi thought, swallowing nervously as he stared at Kunimi. _He’s…awesome. Beautiful, I mean! He’s so…balanced and chill and lazy…who can pull off pink like that? That’s amazing…if he looks that good in a regular tutu, how good will he look in his flower boy outfit?! I wonder what his voice sounds like…_

Kunimi wasn’t thinking at all, his mind having gone blank after walking in and locking eyes with this mummy; on his walk up to the room, his head had been spinning with nerves and annoyance. He really really didn’t want to be the flower boy at the wedding—it was embarrassing for him, the laughing stock of the forest, triggered by him just being himself, and now, he was going to have _another_ girly title to follow-up. Even if he got paid for this humiliation, Kunimi wasn’t looking forward to it, no matter how happy it made Iwaizumi-san.

Now that he was here, seeing this young, nerdy, handsome mummy (who, instead of having his entire face wrapped, had one bandage wrapped around his forehead like a headband, showing off his spikey hairdo)…his mind had gone totally blank. He couldn’t even remember what amount of pay he would accept to be the flower boy in the wedding. He couldn’t even remember what the outfit for the flower boy _looked_ like, the amount of humiliation…

 

“…right, Kunimi?”

 

The pixie slowly transferred his gaze from the nerdy mummy to the creampuff-haired banshee standing by the tea table; he had a little box in his hands, and seemed to be talking to Kunimi.

 

“…Yeah?” The pixie answered.

“Do you have an estimate to what you’d like to be paid for stepping in as the flower boy, which, by the way, we are eternally grateful for?”

“Um…I don’t know…”

Kindaichi quickly lowered his gaze, sensing that Mad-Dog was figuring out the situation, though he was just as confused as the love-birds were; Yahaba was the only one functioning correctly, and began counting out compensation for Kunimi on the table as the other three stood in a strange silence, none of them looking directly at one another—the mummy and the pixie continued to try and sneak glances at each other, unknowingly mimicking actions.

“So right now I have ten sea-shells, five pearls, five rainbow stones—”

“Okay.” Kunimi squeaked. He mentally kicked himself, feeling his cheeks blush furiously as Yahaba and the others looked at him in surprise.

“Okay…okay as in that’s what you’ll accept?” The banshee clarified.

“That’s fine. Whatever.”

Yahaba looked over at the other two to see if they were just as surprised as he was, but Kindaichi was avoiding eye contact, and Mad-Dog had returned to his rubix cube.

“Well…great! Here you go!”

 

The wedding planner put Kunimi’s pay in a bag while Kindaichi became brave enough to introduce himself to the pixie, who was still eyeing him with fascination and interest. _Why does he wear his hair like that?_

 

“I’m K-Kindaichi.” He said shakily, his hands fumbling at his sides. “I’m one of the groomsmen at the wedding.”

Kunimi repeated the name to himself silently, nodding to himself; Kindaichi fit him well.

“This is Ma—I mean…Kyotani.” The mummy introduced, motioning to the werewolf behind him who was grumbling at his rubix cube. “He was the flower boy, but he didn’t wanna do it, so…”

“I don’t want to do it either,” Kunimi shrugged. “I’m just doing it as a favor for Iwaizumi-san.”

“We’re thankful for your cooperation either way,” Yahaba nodded, handing him the bag. “I’m just trying to make Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s wedding the best day of their lives.”

“It’ll be the best day of their lives no matter what, Yahaba-san!” Kindaichi smiled nervously. “They’re just those kind of people.”

“Very true.” The banshee nodded. “Thanks for coming today, Kunimi; we’ll have to get you a schedule of the plan of events in preparation for the wedding and all, but for now, you are free to go.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to go.” Kyotani mumbled to himself.

“He doesn’t _have_ to go, I was just saying that if he _wants_ to go, he can.”

Mad-Dog mumbled again, making Yahaba scowl at him. Kindaichi and Kunimi weren’t paying attention to the werewolf’s manners, however; their eyes had found each other once more, and this time around, the lanky mummy noticed how nicely parted the pixie’s hair was, and how there were sparkles hanging around each part of his body, especially his bare neck area. Kunimi himself noticed the young skin underneath the white wrap hanging on Kindaichi’s body, most noticeable on his naked feet—he figured that he kinda liked the boy, because his personality seemed bearable, and he seemed to enjoy Kunimi’s company as well.

 

Good company was all Kunimi wanted in life.

 

“I should be going,” The pixie reluctantly mumbled, turning away from the group. “Iwaizumi-san wanted me to try on my outfit for the wedding.”

“Right,” Kindaichi nodded, stepping out of his way. “S-See you later, Kunimi.”

“Bye.” He said quietly.

 

Kunimi made his escape quickly, eager to be alone with his thoughts; sure, he had a crush on Iwaizumi, but that was only because he admired the worker for his skills and kindness. Well, not to say the corpse wasn’t handsome, because he was, but…this was something different. The pixie wanted to know more about this mummy—he wasn’t sure how he should approach Kindaichi outside of the wedding plans, however, and so, walked back to his home in the forest with a headache.

Kindaichi watched the door for a few minutes, eyes nearly bulging out of his skull. Mad-Dog was almost worried for his friend’s sanity, and wondered if he would have to be involved in _another_ Halloween wedding a year from now. The thought made his nails come out further, which Yahaba scolded him for—the mummy didn’t hear any of the argument, as he was still thinking about a certain tutu-wearing pixie named Kunimi, who was to be the flower boy in the wedding.

 

“Well,” Yahaba sighed to himself, since neither of the others were listening. “This is certainly a wedding _I’ll_ never forget.”

 

~~~-~~~

 

With the arrival of the cold autumn weather came the early setting of the sun, allowing Oikawa to get first look at the stars a little while after dinner ended. He crawled up the motel from his window and settled on a spot right in the middle of the roof, where he could see thousands upon thousands of little sparkling specks in the black night sky, shining down for him to see. Tooru had always loved astronomy, including aliens, but there was just something about lying down on his back and looking up at the universe that made him feel oddly calm about life; he would have gladly shared this scene with Iwaizumi, but he was very busy with preparations for the wedding. The vampire was busy himself, writing and writing and writing the best Halloween wedding article of all time, but he liked to take opportunities such as this to have a short breather.

 _I wonder if Iwa-chan likes to watch stars_ , Oikawa thought with a smile, trying to give each star the same amount of attention. _People don’t like to watch stars anymore…back in my day, everyone used to spend at least one night a week looking out their window, or going outside with their loved one, just to stare up at the shining sky above them, realizing that they are only people below the heavens, but that someday, they might become the heavens that other insignificant humans look upon. I always wondered if I would be that person…but alas, vampires are cruelly immortal, and unless you have someone to spend an eternity with…_

_Things can end very quickly._

 

Tooru gave a dramatic sigh and thought back to when he had taken Iwa-chan’s hand as they anxiously waited to see if he would be allowed to attend the wedding; he remembered how warm he had felt next to the corpse, how happy he was that Iwaizumi didn’t rebuff his attempts at comfort and shove him off. Oikawa found himself falling deeper and deeper into a trance when he was near the corpse, which was odd for him, being such a focused individual and all…he figured as long as Hajime was nice to him 50% of the time, he would have a friend for life. He just really wished Iwaizumi was beside him right now, so that he could tell him all these things without being so afraid; the stars always made him braver, though he had never needed the extra boost before this point in his life.

That was how Oikawa knew his feelings were becoming dangerously sweet for Iwa-chan.

 

Unfortunately, someone the exact opposite of Iwaizumi showed up beside him.

 

Atsumu Miya came swooping down with his cape, scaring the living daylights out of Tooru.

“Enjoying the cool breeze of the darkest night, are we Oikawa-san?” He smiled as the other vampire recovered. “Winter is just around the corner.”

“Yeah,” Tooru huffed. “I guess it is…”

“Care for some company?”

_I don’t know—are you going to turn into Iwaizumi anytime soon?_

“Hmpf.”

Atsumu took that as an invitation, and sat down way too close to the other vampire, who frowned and narrowed his eyes, trying to look back at the stars; his concentration was broken, however, because he felt like the motel owner was invading his thoughts. Oikawa didn’t dare think of Iwa-chan, for fear of bringing more attention to the poor guy.

The silence following was so awkward Tooru was glad when Atsumu broke it, even if his voice _was_ the most annoying thing on the face of the supernatural community.

“The forest looks especially dark tonight,” The blonde commented. “It reminds me of Igor’s sweet little wife, Candy—are you familiar with their love story, Tooru-chan?”

_So it’s “chan” now?_

“I’m familiar with her death, nothing else.” Oikawa replied stiffly. He really didn’t like this guy. “As for their love story, I assume it ends with Igor’s own death, after her brutal passing however many years before…”

“But don’t you know, Oikawa-san.” Atsumu started with a hooded smile. “That no love story ends at death?”

Tooru glanced over at the vampire, trying to read his secretive expression; there wasn’t any real intentions in his eyes, but Oikawa, master of disguises, knew that this conversation had to be going somewhere.

“It’s true, Miss Candy died at a young age, at the hands of cruel witches and a few of our kind.” The motel owner began. “But I like to focus on the positives of her life: Candy and Igor were deeply in love throughout their teenage years, and the minute they were of age, Igor proposed to her in his family’s garden, surrounded by a thousand roses and bushes of all kinds.”

“Romantic.” Tooru hummed dryly.

“Isn’t it? I forgot to ask earlier, but how did Matsukawa propose to Hanamaki?”

“By asking if he wanted to marry him.”

 

Atsumu paused, then let out a laugh that echoed into the night as Oikawa sighed silently.

 

“You’re much more fun than my brother—Suguru and I always have to try so hard to get him involved in anything. Us vampires have to stick together through all the scrutiny and bedtime stories, right?”

“Right.”

“Anyway, along with the story: from the second they became a married couple, Candy and Igor were envied and admired throughout Japan. Their wedding was the best of the best, just like Makki and Mattsun’s will be.”

_…I did NOT just hear that._

“Igor, an ex-warlock, was rumored to have a longer lifespan than that of his human wife, but legend has it that before she became old and passed-on, Igor promised that he would go with her into the afterlife.” Atsumu explained. “Sure it was a promise, but when the time came, and Candy died in his arms, I don’t believe Igor joined her immediately. Rumor has it he’s still out there somewhere, hovering in the shadows, never coming out to the light—some people even say he’s gone completely insane. …But that’s the best kind of love, isn’t it, Oikawa?”

Miya #1 glanced over at the vampire, who was trying very hard to keep his displeased expression to a minimum.

“The kind of love that drives you insane…it’s so addictive you don’t think about anything but that person, your life with them, what the effects of your love will be…it’s dangerous. But if vampires like us have an eternity, there’s no telling how powerful that love could be—do you agree with this type of love, Tooru-chan?”

 

_An eternity being in a relationship with Atsumu Miya…I think I’d rather sleep in the same bed as KAGEYAMA for the rest of eternity._

 

“I wouldn’t use the same wording.” Oikawa forced out, looking back up at the stars. “I’m more of a sucker for charming romance; eternal love, never-ending devotion, etc. etc. An eternity’s never enough for you and your immortal love for your mate, that kind of shit…”

_Huh—immortal love with Iwa-chan. That sounds…really nice—but don’t tell Makki!_

“Ah,” Atsumu chuckled, making Tooru look back over. “I see you’ve never loved someone as much as I have, Oikawa-san.”

“Who says I haven’t?!”

Before Miya could reply, their one-sided conversation was interrupted by a cute little werewolf howl coming from inside the forest. Oikawa smiled at the reminder of Iwaizumi, wondering if the corpse had accidently let the little orange monster escape again; a louder, deeper howl came from inside the motel. This one made Tooru shiver, because he knew it had come from Mad-Dog-chan—thank goodness the full moon had already passed.

 

“Ah,” Atsumu hummed with a cruel smile. “A young werewolf, I hear…”

The vampire stood-up suddenly, offering a hand down to Oikawa.

“Care for a midnight snack, Tooru?”

 

The journalist couldn’t stop his mouth from falling open and sputtering over his response; words could not describe how horrified he was at the image of drinking from a real life _animal_ , with all that dirt and nasty warm blood, much less, _Iwaizumi’s_ _pet_ —it just about made him sick, and he had to grab onto his stomach in order to collect himself before answering. Atsumu seemed pretty set on getting his snack, so Oikawa tried to come up with a distraction quickly; he could always kiss the bastard, but he figured Atsumu would taste even worse than Hinata, so he spoke about the only person who came to his mind.

“Tell me about Iwaizumi!”

The Miya twin raised an eyebrow, looking back at the other vampire curiously.

“What about him?”

“Well…tell me his story. Obviously you keep him around for some special reason…so what is it? Why’s he so special? Why does he get to stay in the most popular motel in all of Japan?”

Atsumu was successfully pacified, sitting back down beside Tooru, but now a floodgate had opened; and Oikawa really hadn’t wanted to know why the assholes kept poor Iwa-chan enslaved at the motel.

“Oh Iwa-chan,” Atsumu said, making Tooru grit his teeth. “He becomes more of a problem for us every year. Well, for starters, we keep Iwaizumi around because of his uncanny ability to fix everything. That comes in handy when the witches won’t go near the plumbing system.” He laughed.

Oikawa wasn’t amused.

“He used to work with a bunch of old geazers the previous owner had working for him…Iwaizumi knew all of their tricks, so we decided to just keep him around, instead of having to pay a bunch of old timers at the end of their lives, you know? That’s pretty much the only reason…we also picked Iwaizumi for all of the cons that come with him.”

“Cons?”

“You know…his _situation_. I guess decaying corpse are rare, and after seeing Iwaizumi, I think I know why! We didn’t want him ugly enough to ward guests off from the motel, but ugly enough where the guests wouldn’t want to ‘play with him,’ you know?” Atsumu asked, his eyes darkening over for the first time that night. “Aside from his spinelessness, almost literally, Iwaizumi is a people-pleasing, proud, arrogant worker—whenever we _do_ have to punish him for sleeping around with guests, we have no problem doing so, because of his negative attitude towards everything. I don’t think I’ve _ever_ seen the corpse smile—now, normally we couldn’t have someone like that working here, but due to his talents, Osamu and I made an exception for Iwaizumi the decaying corpse.”

 

Tooru’s head was racing with methods and ways of murdering Atsumu, and it seemed the other vampire noticed a change in the journalist’s aura, because he glanced over looking a bit surprised.

 

“Are you alright, Oikawa?”

“Fine,” He answered, standing up abruptly. “I’ll be going back to my room now.” Remembering Hinata, he added “I would appreciate it if you accompanied me back, so that I won’t get lost again. You should really invest in a map for this place, Atsumu-chan.”

“I’ll look into it for you, Oikawa-san.”

“Good. Now come on—”

Tooru lowered his voice to a sultry tone, smiling to himself as Atsumu watched.

“I’ve got _things_ to be _doing_.”

 

The two vampires walked back in total silence as Oikawa silently planned where he was going to put his thank-you to Iwa-chan in his best man speech for the wedding; if Iwaizumi was going down for having allowed Tooru to sleep in his room, Tooru was going down with him. Once they made it to his floor, the journalist bid Atsumu goodnight, and told him to go straight to his office to look into the map for the motel, which the vampire readily agreed to, though not without wishing Oikawa “sweet dreams.” Tooru knew he meant it in a provocative way, but still managed to ignore him—as soon as he heard the twin go downstairs and shut his office door, Oikawa turned around, grabbed his coat and money bag from his room, and headed out the backdoor of the motel. He intended on doing a little shopping that night, no matter how long the bargaining took; he intended to return with something amazing, and brainstormed on the way towards the door leading to the pumpkin patch.

 

Iwa-chan needed a costume to wear at the wedding, of course!

 

Just as Tooru stepped outside, greeted by a sea of orange, something black and moving caught his eye; he immediately looked to his left, groaning as he realized what creature was sitting on top of the largest pumpkin, staring at him with honor. He was still favoring his paw, but that didn’t mean the vampire was going to go easy on the nasty creature.

“You won’t be making me unlucky on this night, cat-chan!” Oikawa promised, dodging Kageyama, who was still staring at him longingly, despite the journalist’s bad attitude. “I’m going to get Iwa-chan a costume, and nobody, not even _you_ , Kageyama-kun, are going to stop me!”

The black cat turned and watched the vampire trot through the pumpkin patch, saying things about “Iwa-chan” and “costumes” all the way down the stonesteps leading to the nearby village. Kageyama wasn’t sure what to make of the journalist’s words, but didn’t admire him less, and waited until he returned to see if he would teach him how to bounce down stairs like that.

 

~~~-~~~

 

Iwaizumi was in the middle of giving Hinata a bath when someone knocked on his door.

 

Hinata was an angel when it came to bath time, but today he was a little rowdy because Kageyama had _hated_ his bath, and threw a fit that triggered an energetic and fiery response in the werewolf, causing him to try and jump out of his bucket just as Hajime was pouring water over his back—one more than one occasion. Several occasions, even. And before that he had been strutted through the forest doing God knows what. Iwaizumi had finally gotten him calmed down enough to rinse all the soap out of his mess of hair on the top of his head, and that was when someone had knocked on his door.

The orange ball of wet fur launched himself a foot out of the tub before Iwaizumi could do anything.

“Hinata, no!”

“ _Woof, woof_!”

“Iwaa-channn!” A familiar voice called from behind the door. “Let me in! I have a present for you!”

Hinata sprinted to the door and began jumping against it, barking excitedly and irritating Kageyama even further from where he sat sulking and glaring in the corner. His angry expression softened some with the voice of Oikawa, but he was still trying to put the blame for his bath on Hinata. Iwaizumi was concerned and surprised to hear Tooru, though his heart jumped excitedly when he recognized that annoying, high-pitched, teasing voice…

Iwaizumi stood up slowly, not paying attention enough to wipe his hands off, and slowly made his way to the door; there wasn’t enough time to switch on his serious demeanor. He had to answer before Oikawa broke the door down.

 _Please don’t be naked with a bow on, please don’t be naked with a bow on_ , the corpse thought in dread. _I don’t want to get my front burned off too…_

 

Fearfully, Hajime opened the door.

 

“Oh good, you’re awake!” Tooru said with a bright smile, cheeks flushed red from the cold wind outside. “Are you busy? I have to give you something!”

“Please come back during business hours.”

Oikawa huffed and slid past the corpse, carefully holding whatever it was hidden underneath a bedsheet from the vampire’s room. Hajime was afraid of what was underneath it, but reluctantly closed the door and turned to face the journalist; Hinata was jumping all around Tooru, who kept trying to shoo him away with shrieks and nudges, which only resulted in his jeans getting wet.

“Down, werewolf, down! Iwa-chan, control your pet!”

“Hinata,” Iwaizumi chuckled, snatching the orange ball up. “Go wait in the bath, okay? We’re not finished yet.”

The werewolf happily trotted over to the bucket and hopped back in, splashing water everywhere, which made Kageyama hiss at him. Iwaizumi cautiously took a few steps forward, trying to figure out what was underneath the sheet; it didn’t look hard or sharp, so he figured he was in pretty safe hands.

Tooru, upon seeing Hajime’s curiousness, stood straighter, and collected his words before speaking.

 

“So…Iwa-chan…”

“Yes…”

“You know how everyone’s going to be wearing costumes for the wedding?”

“I should know, I’m making half of them.”

Tooru smiled loosely, “Well, I got to thinking about how you’re so busy making everyone else’s costumes, and…it didn’t seem fair to me that you don’t get to make yourself one because you won’t have enough time. I took it upon myself to go to the village today and get you a little something to help with that.”

The vampire began peeling the sheet away from the secretive object underneath; he paused for a second to look at Iwaizumi sincerely. He had contemplated and contemplated the costume he wanted to give Hajime while in the village, and he just hoped that the one he chose was the right choice. Tooru had a feeling he would love it no matter what, but he didn’t just want him to _love_ it—

Oikawa wanted Iwaizumi to understand how much he thought about him. _What_ he thought about him. The journalist hadn’t quite put it into words yet, so he hoped this costume would suffice for now.

 

“…I hope you like it.” Tooru mumbled.

 

Hajime took the costume from Oikawa, and pulled the sheet away.

 

Underneath was a knight costume. Well—“costume” was an understatement; the knight outfit looked as if it had been worn by some medieval group hundreds of years ago. It had the old armor chains for sleeves, the same type of hood Iwaizumi probably wouldn’t wear because it would be itchy on his head, a light teal cotton body with a king’s emblem etched in white, flowing past a belt fastened around the middle to make up the end skirt, equipped with long, black knee-high leather boots. There was even a dark blue cape with a teal inside design to wear over the outfit. Tooru had to have bartered a fortune away for something of such great quality…Iwaizumi found himself unable to mask his emotion and gaped at the costume with huge eyes, admiring each stitch and color of the knight’s outfit—it would be a tighter fit than he was used to, but he figured that was the point, since knights had to look fit and all that stuff…Hajime was so amazed he couldn’t even speak. He didn’t look away from the costume, in fear that when he glanced back, it would have disappeared.

To think that _he_ , _Iwaizumi Hajime,_ was going to be a _knight_ …

“I know it might not fit right, but you could always get Kunimi-kun to work some magic on it, right?” Oikawa said, those his words were a mere background noise to Hajime. “I couldn’t find the sword that went with it, but I think that old bag I was bartering with had it and just didn’t want _me_ to have it…I’m sure we can find one in the motel somewhere, if you really want to complete the look. I think yours is way cooler than the wedding party’s outfits…yours can be normal costumes, while ours, according to Yahaba, have to have ‘elegance.’ I think he’s just pulling that out of his uptight a—”

 

Tooru’s words were cut off by Iwaizumi throwing his arms around the vampire, pulling him into a tight, rough, but desperate and meaningful hug.

 

“Thanks, Oikawa.” The corpse said firmly, but with a certain amount of broken spirit beneath his words. He swallowed before speaking again. “You didn’t…you really didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it. I really do.”

The vampire couldn’t respond. He was too busy being shocked over the corpse’s actions that he didn’t think to reply or even hug him back. Iwaizumi’s arms were wrapped so tightly around him he could feel the hole in front of his heart, and, as a result, could feel how quickly Hajime’s heart was beating; being so close to Iwa-chan right now…it was better than he ever could have imagined. And that’s why Tooru was having a difficult time grasping the situation.

“W-Well—I-I…”

“Thank you.” Iwaizumi repeated. Boy did he mean what he said. “I love it. Now I’ll look even better than you at the wedding.”

Tooru gave a breathless laugh; it wasn’t a total laugh because he was still shellshocked, and trying to figure out whether or not that last comment was a loose attempt at flirting.

“You…you’re, um…” Oikawa shook his head, though it didn’t help make his fuzzy vision clear. “You’re welcome, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi laughed and broke apart from the vampire to investigate the costume, noting that the fabric of the back was going to be an uncomfortable fit on his exposed ribs and back bones.

“That’s gunna be a pain in the neck,” Hajime said absentmindedly as Tooru looked at him curiously, mind coming back to earth after getting the hug of a lifetime. “I wonder how my spine will…nah—whatever. I guess I won’t be too concerned about how comfortable I am on the night of the wedding…Hanamaki and Matsukawa will be entertaining enough.”

“Huh?” Oikawa replied. “Is the fabric too itchy on the back?”

“No…it’s just that I—”

 

Hajime abruptly cut himself off just in time, biting his lip and turning with wide eyes to see if Tooru caught the slip-up. The vampire was staring at him, eyes questioning and concerned, making the corpse lose his words in his throat; all the fear, all the worry and anxiety hit him full-force again, just like it had the night the twins took another chunk of his pride away. Oikawa’s chocolate brown eyes were staring at him in questioning, silently pleading, silently curious over what the hell Iwaizumi was talking about—it terrified the corpse, and he found his limbs growing weak at the idea of Oikawa finding out about his secret, the secret he already knew half of…

 

“Nothing.” Iwaizumi forced out roughly. “It’s just itchy, that’s all.” Hajime was a pretty good liar, but right now, he felt more pathetic and trashy than normal.

Tooru tried narrowing his eyes, but found his concern edging out the suspicious attitude.

“You can tell me if you have a rash, Iwa-chan.” He lightly teased, rubbing his fingers against one another. “I won’t tell anyone. Except maybe Makki and Mattsun.”

Hajime wanted to snort at that—but he didn’t.

“No, i-it’s not…a rash.” He forced out again, taking a step away from the vampire and breaking eye-contact as he cradled the knight suit in his arms. “Don’t worry; I’ll still wear it for the wedding…it won’t bother me.”

“Iwa-chan, it’s not nice to lie to your friends.”

 

Iwaizumi looked back up at this accusation, displeased to find that his wall of defense broke immediately upon seeing Tooru’s concerned, slightly offended expression. Why did he feel so brave after seeing that look? Why did he feel like a weight was about to be lifted from his shoulders? Why did he feel like…like…Oikawa wouldn’t care about his back? Why did he feel so comfortable around the vampire, suddenly?

What was happening to him?

“I don’t have a rash on my back.” Iwaizumi admitted, standing a bit straighter, as the knight costume gave him power. “The Miya twins…they punished me because they thought I slept with you, and because I was unable to prevent the power of Friday the 13th from coming into the motel.” His voice became quieter, and he went over to his bedside, setting the knight costume down gently; Hinata and Kageyama were silent, watching their owner with caution as he kept his back to Oikawa, who watched carefully and quietly as Iwaizumi spoke one more time, his voice firm, unwavering, but hushed.

 

“…This is what they did to me.”

 

Iwaizumi, the decaying corpse, leaned forward an inch or two, and pulled the backside of his shirt up.

 

A shaky gasp left Tooru’s lips as they hovered open, wordlessly watching as the entirety of Hajime’s spinal cord, ribs and other insides were completely exposed. It was like…a different person was revealed to have been inside the corpse, only now showing itself and all its insides when Iwaizumi was at his lowest. But that wasn’t entirely true—despite his sudden vulnerability, Hajime didn’t feel as horrible as he thought he would.

Yet.

Oikawa had yet to give his opinion because he was still analyzing the situation.

Iwaizumi’s poor broken back was so battered, so weak and in the middle of recovering from such a sickening act…the bare muscles on his sides were stretched, strained, trying to accommodate for what help had been blistered away. It was struggling to keep everything together, and it seemed, due to Iwaizumi’s condition, that things would remain the same way for the remainder of his sad life. Sure, Tooru had seen the exposed bone on his finger, his temple, etc. etc., but this was _completely_ different.

 

This was horror. The amount of torturous _pain_ Iwa-chan had to be in…

 

Iwaizumi stood there for a solid three-minutes, not breathing, not saying a word, and trying very hard not to think. He failed only in the last category, thinking about Oikawa, how he might not care about his friend’s disgusting state, how he probably wouldn’t ridicule him for it…he hoped things turned out that way, at least. The silence was broken by three quick steps forward from Tooru, alarming Hajime.

“Oh my god…” The vampire whispered, bringing a finger up to hover around the red skin surrounding the gaping wound. “Iw…Iwaizumi, I…”

Tooru’s finger came in contact with the corpse’s spine, making him freeze even further; the term “sent a shiver up his spine” had never been more true. The journalist hadn’t meant to make the touch so teasing, and quickly turned the gesture into a comforting one, running his finger along Iwa-chan’s spine—his _spine_ , the backbone holding his _entire_ _body_ together—as gently and as humanly as possible. He hadn’t expected the bone to be so… _tough_. Despite what it had been through, it was still that persistent? It was perfectly Iwaizumi, no matter what anyone else claimed. Tooru had to close his eyes from the scene, however, because the exposure of Hajime’s entirely seemed so personal, way too personal, and Oikawa felt that he was invading and taking advantage of the poor worker.

“ _I’m sorry_.” He said, breaking the silence again as he removed his hand. Iwaizumi shivered. “I…I had no idea someone…someone thought that about us, that night, I—I-I’ll go straight to Atsumu and fix this, but I—…I suppose the damage…is already—already done…”

Relief isn’t the word to describe how Hajime felt.

“It’s okay,” Iwaizumi sighed, standing up and pulling his shirt down. “It wasn’t your fault.”

When the corpse turned to face Tooru, he came face to face with a terrible, disenchanted expression; it didn’t suit the perky journalist, and Iwaizumi wanted to put a stop to it, no matter how touched he was at Oikawa’s concern and regret.

 

He silently figured that he had been in love with Tooru since he called him his friend.

 

“T—Oikawa,” Hajime corrected, placing his rough hands on the vampire’s shoulders, making him peer upwards. The second those eyes met with Iwaizumi’s, he momentarily lost his words; Oikawa seemed to be on the verge of tears, full of anger and sorrow over having caused the motel’s mechanic such pain. “It wasn’t either of our faults—that’s just how the twins are. Understand?”

“No,” Tooru shook his head, placing his cold fingers on Iwaizumi’s. “It _was_ my fault. I should have returned to my room as soon as the sirens left us alone. I didn’t because I was just…being petty. I should have—”

“Neither of us wanted you to leave, Crappykawa.” Hajime interrupted, rolling his eyes. He had to add the Crappykawa because he was embarrassed at what the other part hinted at. “Whatever happened happened; there’s nothing we can do now. What’s done is done. I’ll go to the wedding wearing that awesome knight costume, and I’ll enjoy every minute of how it scrapes against my spinal cord—I’ve never gone to a wedding before, you know.” He smiled. Tooru was this close to losing his tears over the corpse’s confessions. “It should be a fun experience…back skin or no back skin, I’ll be happy. So don’t lose sleep over this, alright Oikawa?”

“But…but…”

“No buts. It’s okay now—now that I know you won’t…” Iwaizumi swallowed nervously, hoping he wasn’t about to jinx himself. “Now that I know you won’t leave me as a friend for what I am…it’s okay. We’re okay, right?”

 

Tooru could only nod, stubbornly ducking his head to avoid letting Iwa-chan see the tear that had fallen.

 

“Don’t be a crybaby. I don’t want to be friends with someone who cries for no reason.” Hajime joked lightly. His back hurt less and less with each word, and he could have sworn his pride had taken a step forward again, taking back what he thought was gone forever.

_The power of friendship._

“Anyway…thanks for being a good friend—I…appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. _Shittykawa_.”

Tooru laughed through his tears.

“ _You’re welcome, Iwa-chan_.”

 

Another hug was in order, this time, Oikawa being the one to initiate it as he continued to sniffle; he wrapped his arms around Iwaizumi’s shoulders, being careful and gentle around the tattered tissue underneath his fingertips. Hajime noticed, and silently appreciated the gesture, closing his eyes as he returned the hug, letting his hands press firmly against Tooru’s middle back. Hinata and Kageyama grew bored of the situation, and the werewolf went over to the cat, hoping to get him to play in what little water remained in the bucket. Tooru was in disbelief about how his night had turned-out; to think, it all started with him getting hit-on by that bastard Atsumu...

 

“Don’t tell anyone about this.” Iwaizumi grumbled into the journalist’s shoulder. (He still despised the height difference between them, no matter how much he was starting to like Oikawa.)

“But Iwa-chan! Not even M—”

“No.”

“Not even Ma—”

“No!”

“Ow! Don’t hit me, Iwa-chan!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! You can also check out my push-up Iwaoi fic if you're in the mood for some fluff; Sunday's update might come late in the night, since I have work all day tomorrow, but I'll try to get the majority of it done today before I go to work. See you then!  
> THIS IS HALLOWEEN


	7. Cobwebs-October 22nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The occupants of Candy Cemetery Motel find themselves stuck in cobwebs--with only NINE days until the wedding!

_~October 22 nd: 9 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

The two days following Iwaizumi’s reveal were terrible writing days for Oikawa.

 

How could he focus on anything besides the poor workman of the motel, who was continuing to work tirelessly into the night helping Mattsun and Makki on their wedding, their costumes, all the while helping Tooru with his article with an injured back? It had to be hell. Oikawa figured Iwaizumi would be requesting a day off from the interviews any day now, but Hajime never approached him with anything less than a determined, relatively positive attitude. It was admirable, and painful to watch at the same time. Tooru also wanted to beat the living daylights out of Atsumu and Osamu, or maybe suck their blood, or maybe set their part of the motel on fire, after putting a stake through their hearts…he was sure he hated them. It wasn’t an almost-playful hate like with Kageyama the black cat—it was real hatred, hatred for hurting his Iwa-chan, for hurting him in such a cruel, savage way that was sure to leave mental scars, as well as a terrible physical scar that was not able to ever be healed, not even with voodoo or magic. He hated the way they caused Hajime, such a strong-willed, tough person, to break down like he had, reduced to tears alone, with no words to explain, as if words could even begin to explain his pain—

And for that, Oikawa sent his hate to the Miya twins.

The corpse’s head, meanwhile, was full of wedding dreams, vampire questions, and images of knights in shining armor, defending their castle and country until the last breath; he had a strange dream about Oikawa being a demon king instead of a vampire after reading about the species for two nights in a row, and woke-up in a cold sweat, finding himself asleep on the journalist’s floor. He had fallen asleep there after a session, apparently, and Tooru didn’t have the heart to wake him, even after what happened last time they were caught in a room together during the hours of the night.

Every time Tooru closed his eyes, he didn’t see Iwaizumi’s back, but instead, heard the cries and sobs of him from that heartbreaking night.

The noises haunted him, rendering the vampire sleepless like a normal vampire, leading him to try and get some late-night work done on his article; his inspiration was dim, however, and his frustration began to mount. There were only nine days until Hanamaki and Matsukawa were to be married—that meant he needed to have his rough draft finished by the end of the week, so final edits could be done the day before the wedding and sent off to the _Blood Journal_. At this point, at three AM on a Sunday morning, Oikawa currently had five pages finished, the ending not even started, which was a stressful factor, because the ending was always the greatest part of Tooru’s articles; if he didn’t value his looks so much, the vampire would have been ripping his hair out by now.

 

A bright blue light outside the window caught Oikawa’s dull attention span; he slipped his glasses off and rubbed his eyes tiredly, giving a sigh as he sluggishly pulled himself to the window, hoping aliens were coming to save him from this mental hell he was stuck inside. Looking down, Tooru saw not aliens, but…

_Is that…is that Kindaichi? With the pixie?!_

Sure enough, the mummy was walking alongside the glowing pixie named Kunimi, and, if the vampire was being truthful, walking a _bit_ too close to just be considered a “friend” of the flower boy. He was tempted to call out to the pair, but saw that they were in a deep conversation and decided to hold his tongue; in reality, the boys were just talking about how video games had developed and changed during the past hundred years or so. Kunimi had never played before, but saw many children in the village with their hand-held games, and prompted Kindaichi into a passionate conversation about technology. They had done the same thing for the past two nights, having accidently met each other again when Kindaichi was supposed to find Kunimi and give him the wedding plan schedule, only to get lost in the forest like Oikawa had. Each night they spoke of different things, acting casual, despite their obvious attraction towards each other—it’s a good thing their vampire acquaintance didn’t interfere. The two boys were older than humans, but less mature than their age would say; they would have been easily embarrassed, and, as a result, might struggle in their growing friendship towards each other if anything more than that was openly hinted. Sometimes these sensitive things are best left innocent.

 

“Why have I never heard of this development before?!” Tooru whispered to himself, turning away from the window. “Iwa-chan’s been distracting me…I must get back on track. But first, beauty sleep!”

 

Oikawa did get a few hours of sleep that night, but was awoken by a ladder slamming against the wall beside his opened window the following morning.

“Wha tha hell?” The sleepy vampire grumbled, sitting up in bed to take his eyemask off. “Whas…wha’s going on…”

The journalist forced himself out of bed, limbs cracking everywhere, and stumbled over to the window; as soon as he opened his eyes wide enough to see clearly, he was startled by the appearance of the decaying corpse himself, mere inches away from his own face.

“Morning sleeping beauty,” Hajime snorted, taking note of Tooru’s alien-patterned pajamas. “Did the aliens forget to take you to their leader last night? You look like you haven’t slept in three-hundred years.”

“Haha…” Oikawa replied dimly, trying to recover from such a romantic scene so early in the morning. “Funny.”

“You should get up and get dressed—Hanamaki and Matsukawa were supposed to help me, but I don’t think they’ve come out of their room yet.” He shrugged, leaning on the window sill. “You probably know what they—”

“Stop.” Tooru groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Just…stop. It’s too early for that kind of topic.”

“Agreed. Are you coming out?”

“I already did, two-hundred and seventy-five years ago—what are you doing at my window anyway, Iwa-chan? I don’t have any hair for you to climb up.”

Iwaizumi grinned; the sight woke Tooru up abruptly, and he stared for a longing second before the corpse replied.

“You’re in a good mood for me waking you up…why don’t you go get some coffee, and then come help Kindaichi and I put up these little skulls for the wedding? Well, that is if Kindaichi comes back…he was supposed to go ask Kunimi for enchanted skulls that would glow in the dark. Wanna help?”

Hajime held out a string of real animal skulls painted with colorful colors, as if the sight would tempt Oikawa.

“Ugh… _fine_. I suppose I have to do _everything_ for Hanamaki and Mattsun…”

Iwaizumi snorted again, and ruffled up the vampire’s hair roughly.

“See you in a bit, Crappykawa.”

 

 _Well_ , Tooru thought, stretching his limbs more as Iwaizumi secretly admired him from where he was pinning skulls on the outside of the window. _I suppose I can take a day off to decorate with Iwa-chan…I need a break from everything anyways…this wedding has gotten really stressful!_

 

As it turns out, Oikawa would fall asleep for another hour after the fact, but this gave Iwaizumi enough time to get stuck in la la land, daydreaming of vampires, knights in shining armor, and aliens.

 

 _It’s a beautiful day out_ , the corpse thought to himself, tying more skulls above the pumpkin patch door. For it being the middle of October, the sun was shining warmly, and the wind had gone down almost completely. _This would be a perfect day for couples; I wonder where Hanamaki and Matsukawa are. This is a day for hand-holding, sweet sneaking kisses, playful chasing, and, most importantly, silence; the wind isn’t too loud, so Oikawa would reach out and take my hand in his, because he knows I love doing things like that in public, because I don’t like shame. We would probably be able to walk in the forest for how nice it is outside…the yellow leaves might flutter around us every so often as we stroll on the path, hand in hand, talking quietly, if at all, stuck in our own thoughts about each other…_

_I’d be like his knight in shining armor._

Iwaizumi let a smile slip to his lips as he reached to hook the final skull string on.

_I like the sound of that. Iwaizumi Hajime, knight of Oikawa Tooru. But no way in hell is he being my king—_

 

“Iwa-chaaan!”

 

The corpse was startled out of his daydreams by the vampire himself, strolling towards Iwaizumi wearing a blue t-shirt with stars and ufo’s on it, light capri jeans and sneakers that Hajime was pretty sure glowed in the dark. He was carrying a plate that had a commercial-looking sandwich on it, equipped with tomatoes, turkey, cheese, lettuce and mayo, and…were those cookies beside the bread? Real chocolate chip cookies that looked so soft and moist the crumbs would melt in your mouth? When was the last time Iwaizumi had a cookie? When was the last time Iwaizumi _ate_? He couldn’t answer that question, because he was too busy trying not to pin his finger to the wooden door, and trying to fathom how amazing it was that Oikawa could make a sandwich look so perfect, and how he could look so perfect with…with…

_Are those…are those the glasses I saw on the tea table? They’re real glasses? They’re Oikawa’s?!_

The journalist pranced up to Hajime proudly, holding the plate out to him with a cocky, airy smile.

“I brought you lunch, Iwa-chan, made specially by me, Oikawa Tooru of the _Blood Journal_.” He said. Iwaizumi didn’t even have a second to be annoyed, though he saved the vampire’s words for later; _why has he never worn his glasses before?_ “You can thank me later; I’ll expect it to be at least one page long, single-spaced. I know, I know, you said you don’t have to eat a lot, and you _obviously_ don’t need to eat, but I was in the neighborhood, s—”

“Thanks.” Hajime said, not realizing he cut the other off. His eyes were still locked onto the dark-rimmed glasses around Tooru’s eyes. “Why um…why are you so late?”

“I needed more beauty sleep, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa waved off, sitting down on the step, motioning for the corpse to do the same. “I had this weird dream about aliens coming down to earth, and then they tried leading me into the forest, and as willing as I was to follow them into space, I wasn’t about to go in there again. No sir-ee…have you considered making a map for the motel’s territory, Iwa-chan?”

Hajime couldn’t really answer that. He had reluctantly sat down next to Tooru now, on the step, which was a bummer, because now he wouldn’t be able to look directly at the vampire and his glasses; he had the sandwich in his hands, but he couldn’t focus on that either. All he could see and think of was Oikawa. _How is he so nerdy and handsome at the same time?_ Iwaizumi thought, not replying. _How do glasses look so cool on him…that’s not fair. They go with his hair and outfit perfectly. It’s like I’m seeing a totally different view of him; is this even the same person? Yeah, his mouth is moving…definitely him, but…he looks smart. I mean, he IS smart, theoretically speaking, but now he just looks the part. Cute. He’s pretty cute, I guess…_

_And a little bit sexy._

 

“You like space? Astronomy and that stuff?”

Tooru paused to catch up with the topic of conversation, turning away to look at the sky thoughtfully.

“Space is so cool, Iwa-chan! _Everyone_ should like it. In all my years, my respect and interest in these kinds of things have only grown more with each passing day; there’s just something about…the size of space that really pulls me in, you know? I’ve discovered many of their secrets, and yet, I feel as if I’ve only touched a single spec of air from their world. It’s both irritating and promising. I don’t think I’d have it any other way, though…it’s no fun knowing everyone’s secrets. And the sky has millions of secrets, black and blue, so who am I to get to the destination when the journey is where the fun lies, right, Iwa-chan?”

Oikawa glanced over to see the corpse staring at him, lips pressed together, eyes wider than normal, staring directly at him; Iwaizumi had listened to each and every word the vampire said, noting each move and tremor and passionate meaning behind each syllable. His own heart had rose with confidence upon hearing Tooru’s determination, his pure self-assured way of explaining one of his passions; it was addicting, admirable, and really annoying. The annoying part was because Iwaizumi realized how much he loved seeing the journalist excited about something, and how attractive Tooru became when he acted like that.

Had he mentioned the glasses yet?

“You have an eternity to do it,” Hajime coughed. “I’m sure you’ll have a fun journey.”

“I know right?! You should join me, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa said, grabbing onto the corpse’s arm. “I can teach you all about space, the galaxies, stars, and the _aliens_!”

“Alright,” Iwaizumi sighed, moving to grab his sandwich. “Let’s change the subject, Crappykawa. How’s your article coming along? I’ve been basically writing it for you, so you should almost be done by now.”

“Rude! I’ve been working really hard to make your poor descriptions and terrible wording legible for my loyal readers!”

“What other information do you need from me?”

Tooru hummed thoughtfully, leaning on his knees to be closer to Iwaizumi; when he got his idea, he turned and gave the corpse a smile.

“Tell me about Halloween.” He said.

“Halloween?” Iwaizumi mumbled through his full mouth. _This sandwich is frickin delicious…_

“We are attending a Halloween wedding, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa reminded him, smiling again at the reminder of the knight costume he gave the corpse. “I want to know your opinions on Halloween, the traditions, how the theme works well with the wedding…and don’t talk with your mouth full, Iwa-chan. You’re starting to remind me of Mattsun, and that’s not a good thing.”

Hajime snorted, and took an even bigger bite of his sandwich.

“Where is the happy couple anyway? Shouldn’t you be bugging them instead of me?”

“You asked me to help!”

“And are you helping?”

“I brought you food, Iwa-chan! And wipe your mouth!”

 

Tooru reached over with the napkin and wiped the corner of Iwaizumi’s mouth before he could stop him, though he nudged the vampire’s hand away after the fact; Oikawa knew he wasn’t totally irritated, however, and smiled cheekily at the other when he tried to scowl over his full cheeks.

 

“Well I’ll have you know that I knocked on their door like a polite person, Iwa-chan, only for no one to answer. And I didn’t hear moans this time, so I don’t think they were—”

“Don’t.” Hajime said, shaking his head. “Don’t say it out-loud; I know what you mean.”

“Whatever you say, Iwa-chan the Virgin.”

Iwaizumi shoved him off the steps for that, but the vampire laughed anyway, and was still laughing even after the corpse had finished his sandwich.

“I’d better get back to work,” He said, helping Tooru off the ground, only partly using it as an excuse to touch the journalist’s hand again. “Are you gunna help, or are you going to see what Hanamaki and Matsukawa are doing?”

“Mmm…I’ll probably go talk to Makki first. Was the sandwich good?”

“Yeah. You didn’t ask Suguru to make it for me, did you? Because he’ll poison me every chance he gets.”

“I made it myself, Iwa-chan! I told you that already!”

“Whatever.”

Secretly, Hajime had asked again just to clarify that Oikawa could indeed, cook. He handed the plate back to the vampire and cracked his knuckles, knowing his short time with his…crush, you could call it, was coming to a close. Iwaizumi really just wanted the vampire to help him decorate, so they could act like a family or a couple on this beautiful autumn day; he really wanted to admire Tooru with glasses on more, and really wanted to be the person who wiped the lenses off for him, and took the frames off the journalist when he fell asleep working.

This urge was growing very strong, and the corpse tried to contain it with the idea that Hanamaki and Matsukawa didn’t need another couple stealing their thunder days before the wedding.

 

“See you later, then...thanks for the sandwich.”

“Yeah…don’t work too hard, Iwa-chan; I need you ready and excited for our session tonight.” Tooru smiled a bit. “And take care of yourself! Don’t fall off any ladders, and don’t let that brat Kageyama boss you around!”

 

Iwaizumi let himself smile this time around, and in his own opinion, it was one of his best smiles ever.

 

Tooru blushed, struggling between turning away and continuing to stare in shock at this light, heavenly side of Iwa-chan that he had yet to know; he wanted to know more, wanted to see more, to stand there forever and stare at Iwaizumi’s smile, but one of the witches called for the corpse to pin up more of the decorations.

If only Oikawa knew how much Iwaizumi wanted to go with him instead of the witches.

“I’ll see you later,” Hajime promised, beginning to walk past the vampire. “Bye, Oikawa.”

The motel’s mechanic brushed past, causing a response from the journalist that he wasn’t expecting.

“Tooru.” The vampire squeaked.

“…Huh?”

“You can call me Tooru sometimes.” Oikawa said. “If you want.”

“Alright,” Iwaizumi swallowed. The vampire was avoiding eye contact, which he was glad for, because he was blushing like no tomorrow. “I’ll see you later…Tooru.”

“B-Bye, Iwaizumi.”

“Hajime.”

“Bye…Hajime.”

 

Both boys left the area in a hurry, regretting the entire “first name” agreement, because as sweet as their names sounded on the other’s tongue, it also provoked a response so unlike their usual selves they had a hard time believing that they weren’t already completely in love with each other.

 

 _One month…one October, and we’re already stuck on each other,_ Iwaizumi thought, shaking his head _. Who would have ever expected this?_

 

With a deep sigh, the corpse returned to his work—even looking at the freaky wedding animal skulls, all he could see was Tooru’s face, those damn glasses that made him look so nerdy and sexy, those cursed brown eyes that pulled him in every time, and that stupid, crooked smile of his…

After two more hours of decorating the motel, Hajime found himself having spent the past two hours arguing with himself about whether Oikawa’s confidence was admirable or irritating beyond reason.

 _This is getting out of control_ , he thought, rubbing his temples and sighing as he entered the motel to find the spiderweb decorations for the roof. _I need to clear my head, think of something else…but everywhere I look, I see either Tooru, or aliens. What the hell does that mean? I barely know the poop bastard…I can’t like him THAT much; it’s psychologically impossible, what with the trauma and abuse I’ve undergone this past month or so. My subconscious must just be reaching out for him because it’s desperate for friendship, causing me to become less assertive, more vulnerable and susceptible to charm. Not that Oikawa’s charming…if anything, he’s an arrogant son of a shitty bastard._

_Wait—_

_Am I STILL thinking about him?!_

 

Rounding a corner, Iwaizumi was startled to look up and see Matsukawa coming the other way, head downcast, hands not stuffed in his pockets, but hovering alongside his hips, stiffly gripping their palms as if he was having trouble containing his emotions. He didn’t even realize Iwaizumi was coming towards him until the corpse spoke a greeting.

“Hey Matsukawa,” Hajime said slowly, getting the zombie to look up in alarm. “What’s up? Looking for something?”

Mattsun mumbled a word that he hadn’t meant to say, finally stopping in front of the decaying corpse. His head raised a bit, but only a bit, which was concerning to Iwaizumi. He had never seen Issei anything less than jolly and relaxed.

“…Everything okay?”

The dark-haired man shrugged a little, finally making eye-contact with Iwaizumi; he looked tired, like he had been thinking about something stressful all night long. Apparently, he hadn’t talked about whatever what was wrong with Oikawa or his fiancé, because his lips were dry and cracked from lack of speaking; his sleepy eyes looked more droopy than usual, too, and Hajime suddenly became very concerned that something was seriously wrong with the zombie. He didn’t think zombies could get illnesses, so he waited and waited for Matsukawa to tell him what the hell was going on so he could help out.

 

“I don’t know…” Mattsun said painfully slowly. “I don’t know if I…want to get married.”

 

 _Ah_ , Iwaizumi thought, eyes widening. _A classic show of a groom’s cold feet days before the wedding…_

Before the corpse’s thoughts could run away with him, Mattsun quickly corrected himself.

“I mean, I still love Makki, and I really do want to be with him forever.” The zombie explained sincerely. “But I just…I don’t know…about the whole wedding thing. I’m starting to think a wedding makes everything… _weird_ , you know? Like we’ll have to start acting like a bunch of stuck-up pricks or something…and I don’t know if we should go through with it. Are we doing it just to impress people? Are we doing it because Halloween is awesome?”

Matsukawa looked a little crazed right now, so Hajime took a tentative step back towards the wall as he tried to think of a solution to the zombie’s cold feet; this situation was much more fragile than it seemed. Iwaizumi’s advice to Mattsun could make or break this relationship. How did he get caught between this dilemma and the engaged couple? He was just trying to find some spiderwebs for the roof decorating. He certainly hadn’t been searching for something like this… _Oikawa_ should be dealing with this shit. He had known the zombies way longer than Iwaizumi had…it didn’t make sense for him to be the one to fix everything, but here the corpse was, standing in front of a panicking groom who said he wasn’t sure about the upcoming wedding that was _9 days_ away.

_Think, Iwaizumi, think…do you want them to get married, or do you want Matsukawa to make his own decision? That doesn’t seem wise…what would YOU do? What would you do if you were marrying Oikawa, and—_

_Um…no. Don’t use that as an example. You’re getting off track again, damnit!_

“I just…I don’t know what to do or say, or how to start that conversation with him, especially so close to the wedding.” Matsukawa tried to explain, wringing his hands together. “I don’t want to freak him out, but he probably already knows what I’m thinking, because I’ve been acting weird since last night…”

He released a deep sigh that was meant to calm himself down, but it didn’t work. Hajime noticed, and realized he needed to speak quickly, or risk the zombie losing himself in his worrying thoughts. He wanted the couple to be happily married on October 31st, but he wanted them to do so willingly, without stressing over whether it’s the right thing to do or not; he was sure they wanted that too, so the corpse decided to just follow his manly instincts.

“I think you should talk to Hanamaki,” Iwaizumi said finally. Mattsun’s head dropped into a nod. “But…not right now. You can do it later, after you clear your head or something.”

“Good idea,” The zombie exhaled, finally giving him a loose smile. “What would you suggest to take my mind off everything?”

“Drinking? If you’re into that kind of medication.” Hajime joked. “Other than that…I guess you could go to town or something. Go shopping, maybe get some food, do some bartering…spend a day with your groomsmen. Kindaichi’s off with Kunimi, I think, so I guess all you have left is Oikawa.”

“Pf,” Mattsun huffed. “I’m not going shopping with _Oikawa_ —why don’t you come with?”

“Me?” Iwaizumi asked in surprise.

“Yeah; you’re probably the only other person besides Makki I can stand to shop with. Come on, that couple you’re decorating the motel for are assholes—you can afford a day off in the village to shop and barter, can’t you?”

Seeing how in-between Hajime was, Matsukawa leaned closer and pretended to give the corpse puppy dog eyes—the sight was more disturbing than alluring.

“P-Please Iwa-chan?” He begged in a whiny voice, imitating his journalist friend. “I can’t go on my own…please come with.”

“Only if you promise to never speak in that voice ever again.” Hajime snapped.

 

Matsukawa laughed his real, low laugh and backed away, straightening his posture as the pair turned around and began eagerly walking to the exit of the motel. Iwaizumi had never actually gone shopping in the village before, save for the times he needed new socks or something…he didn’t have a lot of money to spend anyway, so he figured he would just lead Mattsun to the best shops and stops and let him buy whatever he wanted. He also figured it was safe to let the stressed groom buy a few self-indulgent things here and there, as long as those things weren’t plane tickets out of Japan or a break-up card.

Mattsun gave a strange laugh as they strolled out of the motel together, prompting Iwaizumi to glance over, wondering if the zombie had already cracked under the pressure.

“Do you think all grooms feel like this at some point? Or is it just me?” He wondered. “Do you think you’ll be like this when you get married some day?”

Hajime looked away, immediately picturing Oikawa Tooru as his fiancé, despite his firm agreement to stop thinking about the cocky journalist. He thought about marrying Oikawa, waiting at the end of the aisle, palms sweating, eyes beginning to water the second he laid eyes on the glowing vampire…

Would he feel that same bliss a few days _before_ the wedding?

 

“Maybe.” Iwaizumi said quietly. “Just maybe…”

 

~~~-~~~

 

While their owner was strolling around the nearby village with the groom-to-be, Hinata and Kageyama were wandering the motel; the werewolf was determined to show him the ropes as quickly as possible so that they could play all of his favorite games that required two people. Unfortunately, Kageyama was not as good a learner of location as he was the actual rules of the games; he couldn’t remember the twists and turns of the motel, no matter how many times Hinata showed him. Both were getting frustrated at each other, which then turned into irritated swats, which then turned into a competitive chase around the motel—Kageyama was hot on the werewolf’s heels the entire time, snarling and big blue eyes glowing with fierceness.

When the pair barreled around a corner on one of the lower floors, Hinata spotted guests, and immediately slammed on the breaks; the black cat crashed into him, sending both of them flying against the nearest wall. Hinata recovered first and tugged Kageyama back into the hall so that they could prevent being seen by anyone—Kageyama was about to hiss and bite him for pulling on his tail, but was cut-off by heaven’s voice itself.

The creatures peaked around the corner and saw Oikawa greeting his pink-haired friend.

 

“Makki! Are you just getting up?! I know you two are engaged, but _seriously_ …”

“Mattsun’s not here,” Hanamaki said a tad too stiffly. Tooru caught it immediately. “He went for a walk or something…and were you listening to us again? Do you have a kink of listening to your friends go at it or something?”

“No!” The vampire cried. “I’m just an innocent friend in all of this! I just wanted to hang-out with you before you and Mattsun go running off into the married life, leaving me behind!”

Strike two; Hanamaki gave him half of a smile at the mention of his upcoming marriage, and now it was Oikawa’s turn to take a step back and look over his friend; he was still favoring his ankle, but as of yesterday, the injury no longer hurt. He still had the same light green skin, tattered clothing, strange markings here and there, shadows under his eyes, and…

_Ah ha. That strange glimmer has never been in Makki’s eyes before._

“Something bothering you, Makki?” Tooru asked, putting a hand on his hip.

Takahiro looked away, and said nothing.

“Did Mattsun forget to iron your clothes again?”

“No,” The zombie sighed, closing his eyes to avoid Oikawa’s penetrative gaze. “He’s…”

“ _Cheating_ on you?”

“No. Why are you so dramatic?”

“Because my two best friends are engaged, Makki! How can I _not_ be dramatic _days_ before the wedding?!”

 

Hanamaki mumbled before he could stop himself.

 

“If there even _is_ a wedding...”

 

Oikawa stared at the zombie for a long minute, trying to determine where on earth that comment had come from; was he second guessing their relationship? Did he just not want to get married anymore? Elope? Just spend the rest of his life with Matsukawa with no title? Tooru decided to be straight with his friend, and asked him out front if something was terribly wrong between the two.

“Did something happen?” The journalist asked softly, noticing Makki’s lingering anxiety.

“Not that I recall.”

“Are you sure he’s not just nervous? Are _you_ nervous, and maybe that’s why he’s acting so strange?”

“No,” Hanamaki said quietly. “I’m not nervous. I’m…just worried that Issei doesn’t want to get married anymore. He was acting weird last night when I was asking him about the wedding, and he kept giving me these looks…when we went to bed, I don’t think he ever slept. He was staring at me, like he was trying to figure something out, and I didn’t understand what was so wrong…”

“He still loves you.” Tooru assured Hanamaki.

“Duh, Oikawa.” Takahiro rolled his eyes. “He told me that before he left this morning. Of course I know how he feels about me, but…I just think he’s freaking out a little. I mean, he brought this on himself—it’s not _my_ fault he asked me to marry him!”

“Well, it kinda _is_ your fault, Makki.”

“I can’t help it if Mattsun thinks I’m awesome,” The zombie shrugged. “He didn’t _have_ to ask me to marry him.”

“True—you two have sex all the time. It’s about fifteen years too late for you guys to decide to wait until after you’re married to—”

“Shut-up, Tooru.”

“Okay.”

 

The friends stood in silence for a few stressful seconds, pondering over a solution for their problem; Oikawa had a few suggestions, given his past of several successful relationships over a span of three-hundred years, and decided to just throw some good advice out there. He had jokingly almost-ruined the engagement for his friends…but he didn’t ever dream of ruining their actual wedding. As much as they teased and poked at his habits, Tooru really did love them, and wanted to see them together forever, however long that may be.

Hinata and Kageyama listened intently, and flinched when they sensed another presence arrive at the end of the hall opposite them, on the other side of Oikawa and Hanamaki.

Kageyama recognized the smell as being one of the Miya twins, and gave the werewolf a wide-eyed look.

 

“Look, Makki.” Tooru started, putting a hand on the zombie’s shoulder. “If worst comes to worst, you and Matsukawa don’t get married this October. Even if you decide not to be engaged, to not get married, you two can recover from this weird little incident. You have decades to forget about it, decades that you’ll probably spend closer than ever, like nothing ever happened; you two will be fine, so if Mattsun is so nervous about the title that he can’t go forward with the ceremony…I wouldn’t stress about it. You and I both know he loves you, and you love him—compared to what I know about love, I’d say that’s a pretty solid relationship. Understand?”

Hanamaki nodded slowly, knowing his friend was right. Why did he always have to be right?

“Understood,” Makki said. “I’ll have to talk to him when he gets back from wherever he is…hey, do you happen to know what happened to the sandwich I made him earlier?”

“Of course not!” Tooru claimed. “You know I don’t like turkey, Makki.”

“But Iwaizumi does, right?” The zombie grinned.

Oikawa found himself blushing in anger, turning away to cross his arms over his chest, as if that would protect him from Hanamaki’s claims. The other laughed loudly, glad he was able to suck the vampire into this conversation; he and Mattsun had been meaning to ask him about this situation with the motel’s groundskeeper, but with all they had to do, found little time to harass the journalist.

“You _like_ him.”

“No I don’t! He’s mean to me!”

“ _Oikawa_.”

“ _Yes_ , I like him.” Tooru confessed dramatically. “It’s been half a month, and I feel as if I’m already falling for him.”

 _That_ response was something Hanamaki hadn’t expected. He gaped at Oikawa as the vampire tried to shake the blush off his cheeks, though when thinking of Iwaizumi, it was almost impossible; he couldn’t stop his feelings from bubbling up, right in front of Takahiro, his actions revealing his real attraction to the decaying corpse. Did Oikawa really just say that? Were those his exact words? How many years had it been since he had a boyfriend?

Tooru couldn’t remember.

 

And he didn’t _want_ to remember, either.

 

Hanamaki stared wordlessly at the vampire for a solid minute as Hinata and Kageyama squirmed over each other, trying to get a better look.

“…Okay,” Makki breathed, trying to calm the atmosphere down. “You’re falling for him, then…I don’t mean to sound rude or snotty, but I’m interested to know… _why_?”

Tooru looked over at his friend with wide eyes, as if he had never thought about the reasons himself; his mind whirled for a short moment, seeing images of Iwaizumi, hearing his voice, remembering his kindness towards Oikawa…and his un-kindness towards Oikawa, the mean nicknames that didn’t make the journalist feel as bad as he should have…

Why was he falling for Iwa-chan?

“He’s such a great guy, Makki.” Tooru gushed, leaning over to grab at Hanamaki’s arm. “He’s so hard working, and even though he knows working hard won’t get him promoted or congratulated, he keeps doing it because he knows nobody else is going to get stuff done like he can. He can do _everything_ , he can fix _anything_ you need him to, Makki! He saved my life twice, I might add, in the forest and when I ran into the sirens that one night, and even though I’m practically using him to gather information for my article, he doesn’t seem to mind, and he tells me these cool stories—he’s an _amazing_ storyteller, Hanamaki-chan! His voice is so sexy and rough, but it’s also comforting and smooth, you know? And he’s so nice to animals. _So_ nice. It’s so _adorable_ , Makki! Even though I hate that flea-infested cat Kageyama, I can’t help but notice how sweet and kind he is—to _everyone_ , not just me, and not just the animals!”

Kageyama frowned in confusion. The zombie wondered how his friend could write such beautiful things, but when it came to his own words, he couldn’t explain for shit.

“And he’s cute?” Takahiro added.

Oikawa’s blush returned at rapid force, making Hanamaki grin.

“Yes,” The vampire added in a mumble. “He’s…very cute.”

“And those arms, am I right?”

“ _Yes_. His arms…and his hands, and his neck, and his back—”

Tooru bit his tongue at the painful reminder of Iwaizumi’s poor skeleton back, though he couldn’t fight the urge to want to wrap his arms around that strong back and never let go; he wanted Hajime to hold him in return, too, and told Makki so the next minute, explaining how warm Hajime’s hug had made him feel. They chatted in the hallway for a good hour, swapping stories and preferences, even _kinks_ , on accident, after Hanamaki jokingly said, following Tooru mentioning how he thought Iwaizumi was sexiest when he was lifting or holding something up, that he found Matsukawa hottest when he was eating. The conversation led to Hanamaki saying he was going to bring food into he and Mattsun’s mild sex life (which Oikawa did not believe, despite it being true, nor did he want to know more about the topic), and Tooru saying that someday, he wouldn’t mind terribly if Iwaizumi held him up against a wall or something…but before that, he really wanted to hold Iwa-chan’s hand again. Like… _really_ _really_ wanted to.

 

Atsumu Miya left at the beginning of the conversation, having already heard enough.

 

There were a lot of violent thoughts going through his mind. The main thought that triggered him so was the fact that the motel’s _slave_ , _Iwaizumi Hajime_ , had gotten to Oikawa before he could. It was sickening. It was revolting to have the leftovers of Iwaizumi’s treat. Atsumu had wanted Oikawa for a while, and he hated himself for still wanting him now, even when he _knew_ Iwaizumi had been with him. How could he bare to touch something the slave had put his dirty hands on? His skeleton hands, no doubt…it was disgusting.

Iwaizumi had ruined his snack.

And he was also friends with that cursed black cat.

“He’ll get his,” Atsumu whispered to himself with a bitter smile, turning away from the hall, where Oikawa and Hanamaki couldn’t hear him over their conversation. The tiny werewolf had heard, however, and leaned forward to listen more. “ _Iwaizumi will get what’s coming to him_.”

 

The evil vampire left the floor; Hinata gave a soft bark at Kageyama, signaling him to follow.

 

They had to warn Iwaizumi, and they had to warn him fast.

 

Hinata and Kageyama raced through the motel, first heading towards the lobby, in hopes that Iwaizumi would be arriving back from the village with Matsukawa when they got there; they considered themselves lucky that none of the guests spotted them, as they weren’t exactly being subtle as they sprinted down the stairs and around the vases and tables. Hinata kept tripping and delaying Kageyama, who, by the time they made it to the lobby, was so out of breath he had to plop down on the ground as soon as they landed on the carpet.

Luckily enough, Iwaizumi and Matsukawa came through the front doors seconds later.

“Back to reality,” Mattsun sighed, though there was a lingering, relaxed smile on his face. “I really needed that; thanks, Iwaizumi.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Seriously, though…thanks. I’m not sure what would have happened if I hadn’t run into you in the hallway.”

“Well,” Hajime mumbled with a shrug. “That’s not really my fault…it’s more up to fate than it is to me…not that I didn’t have a good time. And I’m happy to help; I hope I was able to give you some insight on the situation.”

“More than I thought was possible,” Issei smiled mildly. “Thanks aga—”

“And where have _you_ been all day, Iwaizumi?” A cold voice interrupted.

The four all looked over to where Osamu Miya was leaning against the doorframe of the dining hall, eyes dark with disinterest, but annoyance. Hinata edged Kageyama behind the staircase to avoid being seen, and they peeked their heads out to try and see if Iwaizumi would be okay; Osamu strolled forward with slow, deliberate steps, each tap of his shoe clicking against the granite flooring. Hajime normally scowled at the sound, but today, he found himself completely neutral, merely glancing over at the vampire who was currently staring him down. Matsukawa seemed unphased as well, probably because zombies can’t be killed—

Or maybe he was just braver than Iwaizumi was.

“I do recall a certain conversation when you agreed to spend this day decorating for Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s wedding, Iwaizumi.” Osamu reminded him as he stopped in front of the pair. “Did the witches forget to remind you, or were you simply skipping out on us?”

“Matsukawa-san asked me to accompany him to the village, since he doesn’t know his way around yet.” Hajime answered with ease.

“Interesting answer…because I do believe I saw Matsukawa and his fiancé at the village several times last week, and the week before that, and the third day they were staying here at our motel…you’d think those occasions would be enough to at least give them a hint as to where all the shops are.”

Iwaizumi didn’t have an answer with words, but surprised himself yet again by standing his ground, keeping his exposed back straight and proud. He figured it was just Oikawa rubbing off on him.

“Makki and I are terrible with directions,” Matsukawa laughed. “I asked Iwaizumi to come with me to pick out another wedding present for my fiancé—he’s only picky about presents, so I always need some help picking them out. We won’t care about decorations when the day of the wedding arrives, anyway.”

Hajime was relieved to hear Matsukawa confirm that the wedding was still going to take place, but his stress spiked a bit when Osamu spoke again.

“Either way, Atsumu and I need to speak with you in the office when you’re done with your little… _adventure_.” The vampire said. “Have a good day, Matsukawa-kun.”

 

Iwaizumi watched the twin casually walk away from them, then turned to look at Mattsun, who had as close to an annoyed look as he could get.

“You actually work for that turd?” The zombie asked.

“Two of those turds, actually.”

“Jeez…you have my sincerest apologies. Did I get you in trouble? Because I can go talk to both of them and explain, if you want; I don’t want you to get fired because of my cold feet.”

“They won’t fire me,” Iwaizumi shook his head. “They might chew me up and spit me out, but they won’t fire me.”

“Okay. …I’m not so sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Me neither.” Hajime chuckled, taking a step towards the office he dreaded entering into. Lord knows what he did this time…at least when he knew what he did wrong, he could guess at what kind of punishment it would bring. It could have been a number of things this time, which didn’t help Iwaizumi out. “Talk to Hanamaki, okay? I’ll be checking in later—if the twins don’t kill me, that is.”

Matsukawa laughed even though they both knew the corpse was being partly serious.

“Thanks again, Iwaizumi-kun; I really owe you one. You practically saved my engagement.”

“Don’t tell Oikawa,” Hajime warned. “He’ll hate me for being the hero, and then his best man speech will turn into a bitter rant about how he never gets what he wants.”

 

Matsukawa laughed again, and Iwaizumi was worried that it would be the last pleasant noise he ever heard again.

 

Hinata and Kageyama watched as the zombie hustled up the stairs to go talk to his fiancé, then the black cat sprang into action, heading in the same direction Iwaizumi was—the cat was stopped by Hinata yipping at him quietly and stepping in front of him. _No_ , his big brown eyes said. _It’s too dangerous; the ace will be in danger if we’re seen with him!_

Reluctantly, Kageyama backed away; the pair of creatures found a little hidden corner to wait in as their owner stiffly turned into the open room of the Miya twins’ office. They lost sight of him, and the door was closed loudly upon his entrance.

 

The second Iwaizumi turned his head to find the other vampire, he was struck on the left cheek by Atsumu’s palm, the sound exploding the intensity of the small office.

 

The slap was _hard_ , violent, full of rage that stung the corpse’s cheek with such power he was amazed it hadn’t done more than make him stumble to the side; Hajime’s blown eyes burst open, locking with the abuser’s immediately. For being as calm and suave as the motel owner usually was, his expression was stressed now, irritated, and very, very angry. He looked like he had been betrayed by someone—Iwaizumi figured it wasn’t him, because they were nowhere near close enough (or friendly enough) to have hard feelings over something they did.

For a long moment, they stared each other down, Iwaizumi’s stone cold and in pain, Atsumu’s hard and full of fire as they both caught their breath. Hajime’s cheek stung horribly, throbbing under the skin, blood bruising and forming a strange type of scar almost immediately; Osamu stood to the side and watched the scene go down, entertained, but not pleased.

“And what,” Atsumu started breathlessly. “Have you been doing all day, Iwa-chan?”

“Don’t call me that.” Hajime spat on instinct.

“I’ll call you what I want!” Atsumu hissed back with a sickeningly bright smile. “You belong to the Miya twins of Japan, and we’ll call you whatever we please. _Trash_. Disgrace. _Monster_ , bastard, or, my personal favorite, _Iwa-chan_.”

Iwaizumi gritted his teeth together, ignoring the burning in his left cheek as the blonde twin straightened his posture, his eyes never leaving the vampire’s. The name…that stupid nickname sounded so insulting coming out of Atsumu’s filthy blood-hungry lips; he wanted to hit him repeatedly, demand that he take it back, then run to Oikawa and request that he never call him anything other than Iwa-chan, even though he hated that stupid nickname more than he hated cleaning up the pumpkin patch once the first frost hit.

“Answer the question, Iwa-chan.” Osamu said, sounding bored.

“I was with Matsukawa-sama in the village, helping him pick a gift out for Hanamaki-sama.”

Adding the sama got Hajime another slap on the same cheek, though this one didn’t hear near as badly, because Iwaizumi was too pissed off to feel real pain. After what happened last time in this cursed office, the corpse had lost his fear of the twins along with the skin off his back; he knew what real torture was, and now, he couldn’t find it in him to bow to these vampire pricks any longer.

“Let’s get a few things straight here, _Iwa-chan_.” Atsumu said, slowing his words down as he pointed a finger in Hajime’s face. “You do not have the jurisdiction to excuse yourself from your motel duties to go prancing around the village with what you probably call a friend—you don’t _have_ friends, Iwaizumi.”

 

Hajime’s breath caught in his lungs; for a second, he thought he was hearing himself speak. He used to say that to himself all the time, before October came, before he met that ass Oikawa…but hearing someone else say it…it made him slow down. It made him stop and remember all the nights he spent crying quietly, wishing God would send him a friend, any kind of friend…

Now, Atsumu was saying the same thing to him.

Did that mean it was true?

 

“You don’t _get_ to have friends, nor could you ever maintain them.” Atsumu said clearly. “You are a corpse, and you’re going to be treated like one: you have _no_ emotion, you suffer _no_ pain, and your personality is _dead_. You are nothing, because you are deceased, Iwa-chan—dead people can’t have friends. I thought that would be painfully obvious to you of all people.”

Iwaizumi stayed silent, staring back at Atsumu with no emotion crossing his face.

“…Now that we understand each other, I’d like to tell you the real reason I called you in here, Iwaizumi.” The twin said, strolling closer to the decaying corpse, who was frozen in place. “I’m banning you from coming in contact or coming within fifty-feet of our guest Oikawa Tooru. Consider yourself on probation.”

The corpse stood there, mind blank, heart slowly crumbling apart, falling into the pit of his empty stomach, where anyone could see the pieces if they stood behind him.

“Dismissed, Iwa-chan!”

 

Iwaizumi didn’t remember walking back to his room that night. Hinata and Kageyama guided their owner back to his tiny room underneath the motel, but he didn’t go to sleep. He didn’t even lay down on the bed. He was doing as Atsumu told him to do, be what he was; he didn’t feel, didn’t think, and no longer felt the stinging pain in his left cheek. His skin was deadened, numb, unfeeling and unreliable, as was his mind and soul. Everything was blank, and so, he stood there, thinking and doing absolutely nothing. He could no longer hear the voice in the back of his head telling him to keep going, to fight for himself.

 

Iwaizumi Hajime was a corpse—and that was all he would ever be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, kids xxxx (Halloween kisses)


	8. October 26th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute couple moments, werewolves digging holes, Cobwebs becoming more tangled

_~October 26 th: 5 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

Essentially, the past few days had went like this: Oikawa trying to find Iwaizumi, Iwaizumi trying to avoid Oikawa. The corpse was very good at hide and seek, but the game was drastically different when there was someone actually attempting to find him; he managed to avoid the vampire completely, and had done so both due to Atsumu’s warning, and mostly because of the fact that reality hit Hajime, and he finally understood what he had been getting himself into for the past month.

Once the wedding was over, Tooru, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa were leaving.

Of course, that hadn’t become true only after they developed a friendship with the workman, since Makki and Mattsun were planning a honeymoon to the garden prefecture long before they even dated their wedding ceremony; Iwaizumi forced himself, however bitter and hurtful it was, to come to the cold hard truth of the situation—once October was over, things would return to the way they were before. No friendly zombies couple, no humorous ringbearers, no second werewolf, no fun for Kunimi, and no nerdily attractive journalist vampire with a mild obsession with space and aliens…

 

When the Halloween wedding was over, Iwaizumi would still be where he was before: a poor decaying corpse with little interaction with other human beings. He would return to his lonely life, waiting for the day when another couple decided to have their wedding at the motel, and anxiously waiting for the day when Hanamaki and Matsukawa, or even Oikawa, returned to the motel twenty-years later, in remembrance of their time there. Or maybe they would come after a hundred years, when Iwaizumi was probably dead and gone by that point…

If that did happen, Hajime hoped there was no trace of him even existing.

Because that’s what Atsumu had said, right?

Now, Iwaizumi wasn’t such a fool to believe these words just because a bully like Atsumu Miya said them; he had thought those things many times before anyway, so this was just another painful reminder that no dream can last a lifetime. At least, not for decaying corpses.

 

And so, Iwaizumi hid from Oikawa, Hanamaki, Issei, and any other member of the wedding party. Even Kunimi’s notes and attempts were in vain.

 

By the 26th, five days before the wedding, Tooru reached a breaking point.

 

When he wasn’t trying to locate Iwa-chan, Oikawa was writing his article. He had finished it completely, and was now trying to see if anything was missing, and editing relentlessly into the night; all the information was in order, all the facts and admirations, but he was sure something was missing, and eventually, he realized that the portion where Iwaizumi’s view of Halloween was supposed to be was nowhere to be found.

“Bastard!” Tooru exclaimed in frustration, leaning back in his chair dramatically. “How am I supposed to finish this damn article when—”

“ _Meow_.”

Oikawa flinched in his seat when Kageyama the black cat came sauntering up onto his desk, sitting himself down on the corner where the least amount of papers were. He was holding his own piece of paper in his mouth, as if that was supposed to impress Tooru or something.

“What do you want, Tobio-chan?” Oikawa whined in annoyance. “Can’t you see that I’m having a crisis?!”

The cat set the paper down gently, and continued to stare at the vampire reverently, though his look was utterly ignored in favor of the paper he laid down; Tooru thought it might have been the cat sending a creepy note professing his love for the journalist, but the author’s name made him stop and stare.

 

_HALLOWEEN_

_By Iwaizumi Hajime_

 

“What…what is this?”

Kageyama meowed again, making Oikawa shoot him a glare.

“That was a rhetorical question, cat.” Tooru said, bringing the paper closer to his face. “What…what is this? Did Iwa-chan write this for me?”

Kageyama meowed in agreement.

The journalist took a moment to let his heart soar over the fact that Iwaizumi was still thinking about him, even after four days of silence and secrets; he had no clue what that meant, but decided to let the words do the talking. He hoped there was some hint of what had happened in the article, or that the wording would let him know if Hajime was okay or not…he really hoped he was okay. For as angry as Tooru had been at him for cutting off all contact right before his rough draft was supposed to be finished, he felt nothing but relief now, knowing that Iwa-chan was still alive, if only barely.

The vampire released a breath, and began reading.

 

_Halloween at the Candy Cemetery Motel and the neighboring village of Ghoulville have always been the area’s most exciting events out of the entire year; ever since the motel was established on the hill across the bridge, it has served as a constant reminder of the spooky holiday all year round. The village’s own history of gypsies and fortune tellers warning of evil events set-up the perfect location for Halloween festivities, added to by the ancient stone buildings, broken and eroded cemeteries nearby, and countless aged buildings whose books and records show murders, strange disappearances, freak accidents, and many more incidents of suspicion and mystery. Ghoulville always hosts a Halloween party on the 30 th of October, leaving the actual day of Halloween open for the spirits and souls who dare to go trick or treating on the Night of the Living Dead. I myself have never gone trick or treating in the area, as many of the old residents stressfully warn everyone about the power of that particular holiday, but for those with courageous hearts, Halloween night can be a fun, thrilling experience. _

_If you’re lucky enough, you might find enough houses willing to open the door to give you a handful of candy._

_The Candy Cemetery Motel has its own Halloween party on the 30 th, on the occasion that a wedding or other event isn’t taking place at the motel, and I have had the “honor” of witnessing a few of these parties, during which, I have watched several people get lost in the neighboring forest, never to be heard from again, seen three people be devoured by angry spirits, heard many people be tormented and attacked by unseen forces, and felt the presence of something truly evil lurking within the walls, unleashing its grand power over the guests, even when the darkness of Halloween has not been completely unleashed yet. _

_For these reasons, I believe anyone who is having a Halloween themed wedding should book the Candy Cemetery Motel for the occasion._

_Having had the pleasure of meeting the engaged zombie couple, I can honestly say that they picked the perfect location for their wedding; despite the motel’s elegance and comfort, its past is bloody and filled with terror. Only the lights of wedding candles can overpower the shadows enough where only a strong amount of creepiness is felt, perfect for a Halloween themed wedding such as this; if I believed in perfection, I would say this choice fit the bill, though a certain risk might be involved for those daring, unheeding guests invited to the wedding who chose to ignore the warnings and previous horror stories told about those who go wandering in portions of the motel that are not meant to be wandered amongst._

_As for the costumes incorporated into the wedding, those shall go great with the neighboring village, as a common tradition is to make Halloween masks fitted to each individuals’ face—the masks are then swapped with friends and other village people, so that when trick or treaters come around, or when the Halloween parade is going on, the identities of each person is kept safe from evil spirits, who are said to become confused when the face doesn’t match the soul. Since the wedding is taking place on October 31 st, the actual night of Halloween, it wouldn’t be unwise for locals to follow this tradition, since the action surrounding the motel might lure more spirits and ghosts out of their prisons. _

_Halloween is one hell of a time to have a wedding…but if I were to choose a place that could match the intensity of the haunted holiday, and match the grace of a wedding…Candy Cemetery Motel would be the place to go._

 

At the very bottom, in neater handwriting, as if to show his sincerity, Iwaizumi had written a short note.

 

_Oikawa—_

_Sorry this paper is so late. Good luck with the article, and thanks again for the knight costume. I’m very glad to have met you, even if you’re a pain in my ass most of the time; thanks for all the laughs and conversations. Don’t listen to the sirens. Don’t get lost in nearby forests, either. Just stay out of trouble, okay? Maybe we’ll run into each other again in the future._

_We’ve only got an eternity of Octobers left._

_Yours truly,_

_Iwaizumi Hajime_

 

Oikawa slumped back against his seat, shocked at the amazing content of the paper; firstly, where had Iwaizumi learned to tell stories like that? Secondly, what did the note mean? It almost sounded like…he was saying goodbye. Like he was never going to see any of them again. What did ‘yours truly’ mean? Did that mean…he was Tooru’s? Did that mean he _wanted_ to be Tooru’s? What did it mean?!!

 _He has to hear my speech_ , Tooru thought quickly, rapidly grabbing an empty piece of paper as Kageyama watched with interest. _He has to hear my best man speech, and the speech at the welcome party on the 29 th—he has to hear me. If he won’t let me come to him, I have to make him listen to what everyone else is listening to._

_I have to make this speech perfect._

_But…what is it that I want to say to him?_

 

Before the vampire could even write the first sentence, Kindaichi entered the suite, holding something behind his back, expression curiously looking between the black cat and Oikawa. The cat narrowed its eyes at him, making the mummy scowl.

 

“Are you busy, Oikawa-san?”

“Huh? Oh, Kindaichi, I didn’t hear you come in. Come, come sit!”

The turnup headed boy walked over stiffly, looking a bit nervous about something; he continued standing, eyeing the cat wearily, as if it was going to tell on him after he told Oikawa what was on his mind. Tooru’s mind was still reeling from the paper, which he had clutched against his chest protectively, cherishing it as if it had been written by a famous scholar.

“What brings you here, Kindaichi-kun?”

“Oh…well I…I was kinda wondering…if we could talk.”

“I love talking! What did you want to talk about?”

Kindaichi shifted nervously, still hiding whatever was in his palms from Tooru.

“Well…I was wondering if I could have some advice. About…r-romance.” The mummy forced out awkwardly.

Kageyama hissed in distaste.

“Ahhh…I think I understand where you’re going with this, Kindaichi-kun.” Oikawa nodded in understanding.

“You do?”

“Yes. Having had my own experiences, I can tell you right now that you have nothing to be ashamed of—when I first walked in on Matsukawa and Hanamaki having sex, I started asking myself strange questions too—”

“W-What?” Kindaichi yelped breathlessly, eyes going wide. “N-No, Oikawa-san, that isn’t what I’m talking about!”

“Oh! Okay then! …But you _have_ walked in on Mattsun and Makki having sex, then?”

 

Kindaichi buried his face in his hands, blushing with embarrassment as Kageyama grew bored of the situation and jumped off the desk, going to find Hinata so that he could beat him in a race or something of less stupidity than this conversation. Once the mummy recovered from his humiliation, he looked back up at Tooru, exasperatedly showing him a tiny pink flower that he had found in the forest while searching for Kunimi.

 

“Ohhhh,” Oikawa said, a smile coming to his face. “So you’re looking for advice on the cute little flower boy! Why didn’t you say that before?!”

“Is this…would this be considered a _cool_ gift?” Kindaichi asked. “Would it be considered cool to give this to him?”

“Hmm…………no.”

“…No.” The mummy repeated.

“It’s so cliché, Kindaichi! A tiny little flower? Only Iwa-chan would be able to pull that gift off!”

“Iwaizumi-san _is_ really cool,” Kindaichi agreed thoughtfully, lighting up with the mention of his senpai. “I only met him a few days ago, but I thought he was really awesome! Kunimi likes him, too, and he says Iwaizumi-san is the only person who wants to be friends with him. That shows how cool he is, right Oikawa-san?”

Tooru opened his mouth to reply, but found his head filled with the instances where Hajime had proved his ‘coolness’: first, there was the arm flexing incident. After mentioning that to himself, the vampire couldn’t come up with any more examples, and began daydreaming, missing being close to the corpse terribly.

“Do you…not like Iwaizumi-san?” He asked hesitantly, unsure over Tooru’s silence. “I thought…I thought that you two were doing that article together? Or did that not work out? Did you fire Iwaizumi-san?”

“No,” Oikawa assured him quickly. “No, he just…has a lot of work to do for the wedding. I haven’t talked to him in a few days.”

_Or seen him…or been around him…_

“Yeah…he’s a pretty busy guy. If I catch him later, I’ll have to ask if he thinks the flower thing is okay. Kunimi might be annoyed, though, because he’s reluctantly stepping in as the flower-boy, but since I’m the ring bearer and one of the groomsmen, I think he won’t feel so out of place once the wedding actually comes…right, Oikawa-san?”

 

_Iwaizumi doesn’t think he’ll have any friends after this wedding is over; he thinks…he thinks that this has been some kind of dream, some kind of lucky chance that ends after Makki and Mattsun get married. He’s saying goodbye and keeping his distance because he doesn’t want it to hurt even more than it already does—poor Iwa-chan…if only he knew how that wasn’t true…_

 

“Yes,” Tooru replied softly. “I think he’ll be fine.”

 

Kindaichi seemed satisfied with this answer, and bid Oikawa farewell, still holding the little pink flower excitedly between his fingers; Tooru found himself wishing he and Iwaizumi’s relationship was that simple, that everything could be solidified with a little pink flower. But couldn’t it be? Hajime wasn’t a monster. He was a good, well-rounded guy who worked hard to make things right—so why wasn’t he working hard to make _this_ right? Was he scared? Oikawa knew he was, but maybe he was underestimating the extent of Iwa-chan’s fear. Maybe Iwa-chan was even afraid of the Miya twins; with what they had done to his back, the journalist wouldn’t question Iwaizumi if those two blood-suckers were the cause for his isolation. The day before, Oikawa had even gone to their office and demanded to speak with Iwaizumi about “some of the lopsided decorations outside his window,” only to be told by a smug Atsumu that they were very busy with motel things, that they couldn’t fetch their slave for him.

This had been the breaking point within Tooru, who then turned to writing to vent out his anger.

He missed Iwa-chan. He wanted to talk to him again, he wanted to make him another sandwich, and he really wanted to sit next to him, to feel his heat, to feel that strange sort of reassurance he always felt around the corpse. For the first time in his life, Oikawa _wanted_ to be near someone—in all of his past relationships, he had never cared if the person was going to be gone a week, or if they were busy with work, etc. etc…he always got by just fine, but now, with Iwa-chan…he wanted to be near him at all times.

 

 _There’s only one way to fix this_ , the vampire thought, though there were probably many easier paths to take that he was too dramatic for. _I need to write the best welcoming speech EVER._

 

Despite what he had told Hanamaki, Tooru hadn’t even _begun_ to write his welcoming speech _or_ his best man speech (he figured with the latter, he would already know what he was going to say, and so, wouldn’t have to write anything down). He lied each time the bride demanded to see it, telling him it was bad luck to read the speech before the wedding and all that shit; Hanamaki really didn’t care, but he just wanted a chance to tease and annoy Oikawa about getting stuff done in advance, like the vampire did to them so many times before. Tooru scribbled out a title so that he would know not to throw this paper away, and began writing his speech for the welcoming dinner.

 

_On behalf of Makki and Mattsun, I would like to thank you all for coming this evening. Some of you came here for their wedding, despite the location, despite the long trip, despite the terrible company you would have to endure, and for that, the engaged couple thanks you from the bottom of their lifeless hearts. I’m surprised this little get-together started on time, considering how the first time I met Hanamaki and Matsukawa, we were all three late for the world premiere of the new Star Wars movie…_

 

~~~-~~~

 

Later during the day, Iwaizumi was stressfully walking through the forest, trying to find Kunimi, who seemed to be the only person he could talk to without messing anything up. He had relented to the pixie’s kind notes, and agreed to meet up with him some time before the wedding; Hajime had been talking to Hinata and Kageyama for the past few days, which made him feel crazier and crazier, so he figured that before everything went downhill, before he would have to put on a brave face and attend Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s wedding, he would visit Kunimi and have a nice, solid conversation with the kid.

Of course he wanted to talk to no one other than Oikawa, but…

_Fuck that stupid journalist for making me so stubborn!_

Iwaizumi had been shaking his head for the past few days, and his neck hurt, so he figured he would ask Kunimi how things were going on his side of town, being the new flower boy and all; he probably wasn’t excited, so Hajime planned to go over to his friend’s tree and try to be positive. Easier said than done, but Iwaizumi always found it easier to be himself around the younger generation, who seemed to strangely adore the corpse for unknown reasons.

“Kunimi?” Iwaizumi called, shoving his way through the thick web of branches. “It’s me, Iwaizumi.”

The pixie never usually answered anyway, so Hajime wasn’t concerned over the silence as he finally broke his way through the forest and emerged into the small, clean clearing that was Kunimi’s home; his tree house home, equipped with branches magically formed into a makeshift bed, was sparkling with pixie dust and traces of magic, telling the corpse that Kunimi had recently been sleeping. Iwaizumi spotted the black-haired teen sitting against the trunk of the large tree wistfully, holding what appeared to be a tiny pink flower in between his slender fingers; Hajime had to stop and stare for a minute because he had to make sure he was in the right clearing.

“Um…Kunimi?”

The pixie finally felt Iwaizumi’s presence, looking up slowly, dreamily, eyes trying to focus on who was in front of him.

“Oh…Iwaizumi-san—I didn’t hear you walk up.” Kunimi said, shaking his head to clear the haze from his eyes. “Did you get my notes?”

“Yeah,” The corpse nodded, strolling over to sit beside the pixie. “Whatcha got there?”

Kunimi looked down at the object Hajime motioned to, and a strange little smile came across his usually inexpressive lips as he stopped twirling the tiny flower around.

“Oh, um…it’s…a flower.”

“Yeah, I understand that much.” Iwaizumi chucked. “Where’d you find it?”

“Well, um…uhh…” A deeper blush replaced the pixie’s light dusty cheeks, making his friend frown curiously. “Kindaichi…the um…the ring bearer and one of the groomsmen…he g-gave it to me.”

 

Kunimi hid behind his hair to avoid seeing Iwaizumi’s grin.

 

“Oh!” Hajime said, pretending to be casual, though he was actually really proud and impressed with his young friend’s social skills. “That’s cool…Kindaichi’s the mummy guy, right?”

“Mhm.” The pixie nodded, softly touching the petals of the plant. “Spikey hair, white wraps on his body…”

“Pretty lanky too, right?”

Kunimi paused at the accusation, not noticing Iwaizumi’s mischievous smile.

“He’s…he’s not _that_ lanky…he’s taller than you and me…”

“Isn’t everyone?” Hajime laughed lightly. “Well, that’s cool that you’re making new friends…social interaction does forest dwellers good, you know.”

“Then how come you’ve been avoiding Oikawa-san?” Kunimi asked quietly.

 

The pair looked over at each other, the pixie’s gaze curious, Hajime’s unresponsive as he thought over the answer to that question; _how come I’ve been avoiding Oikawa?_ He thought slowly, twiddling his thumbs together. _How come I’ve been avoiding Oikawa…_

 

“Honestly, Kunimi-kun?” Iwaizumi sighed, crossing his arms. “…I don’t think I can handle losing friends like that. It’d be different if you were leaving with Kindaichi or something, because I’d be happy for you, and I’d be proud that you found your own adventure, but…for me? …I know I’m strong and everything…but sometimes being strong isn’t enough to block out my sorrow at Hanamaki, Matsukawa, and even Oikawa leaving me after a month of getting to know them. It’s pretty pathetic, I know—I shouldn’t be acting so childish, but—”

“It’s not pathetic.” Kunimi interrupted lowly.

Iwaizumi stayed silent, glancing over to listen to his kohai.

“I…I’d be sad too, if people I became friends with were leaving.” The pixie said. “But…I don’t think I’d stop talking to them just to ease the pain. I mean, you can do whatever you want, Iwaizumi-san, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but—”

“You’re right.”

Kunimi looked over, his bored eyes unusually wide.

“I know you’re right.” Hajime smiled mildly. “But that dumbass Oikawa has been rubbing his stubbornness off on me…I’m just being difficult. At least, that’s what I’d like to think…but I know it’s much more complicated than that.”

 

The pixie stayed quiet and looked away; he had a hunch about what he thought Iwaizumi was referring to, but he didn’t want to bring the topic up, for fear of it provoking the corpse into a melancholy mood. The pair were silent for a few minutes, content to listen to the light wind blowing the thin tree branches back and forth as they thought to themselves; just as Hajime was going to start a new conversation, inquiring about Kindaichi, somebody else spoke behind the tree.

 

“What are you both doing out here, then?”

 

Iwaizumi scurried onto his feet, alarmed at the unknown voice; he stumbled around the trunk to see a full grown-werewolf, the ex-flower boy himself, Kyoutani Kentaro. Aka, Mad-Dog. The strange-haired werewolf was digging a deep hole in the ground beside the back of the tree for reasons unknown, sitting right square in the middle of it, jacket and sweatpants covered in dirt and leaves; his long sharp nails were hidden behind the mud caked to the surface, and there were marks all over his face from his recent digging adventures. He looked up at the corpse with narrowed, angry eyes when he was approached.

“Um…what?” Kunimi asked. He may or may not have been hiding behind Iwaizumi for protection.

“I said, why are you both way out in the middle of the forest if you’re so longing to be with these other people?” Kyoutani repeated in a gruff voice, looking back down at his hole. “It’s annoying hearing everyone talk about stuff that’s so easily fixed.”

Had Oikawa been there, he would have argued the same thing against Mad-Dog, since he wasn’t known for fixing problems either. Iwaizumi and Kunimi shared a look, and the corpse crossed his arms boldly, wanting to know who made this kid the relationship cop.

“What about you?” He retaliated.

“I’m busy.” Kyoutani answered immediately. “And the motel is the last place I wanna be right now. Yahaba probably found my room about now, so it’s best that I stay here for a good seven-hours.”

“What’d you do to your room?” Iwaizumi asked.

Mad-Dog didn’t answer right away, choosing to kick another pile of dirt between his legs.

“I felt anxious in that tiny little room, so I tore up my mattress.” Kyoutani answered in a mumble.

“Great. Another mess I’m gunna have to clean up…”

“Sorry.”

“Did you tear up Kindaichi’s too?” Kunimi asked.

“No.” The werewolf grumbled. “I’m not _that_ much of an animal.”

“That’s not a very bright thing to say when you’re in the middle of digging a large hole in the middle of a forest.” Iwaizumi said.

 

Mad-Dog didn’t answer, but his frown deepened, and he bent down to continue digging.

 

“So basically, you’re giving us relationship advice.” Hajime stated thoughtfully. The moody werewolf wasn’t completely off with his earlier advice.

“So you are in a relationship with…Oikawa-san.” Kunimi confirmed to himself.

“W-What?” Iwaizumi sputtered, clearing his throat before continuing in a manlier way. “No!”

“You said relationship, not me.” Kyoutani mumbled.

“Well relationship doesn’t automatically mean relationship in _that_ way, Kyoutani-kun.”

“Whatever you say, Iwa-chan.”

“Is that nickname going to catch on for everyone?!”

“I won’t call you that, Iwaizumi-san.”

Hajime sighed and rubbed his temples to ease his growing headache.

“Thanks, Kunimi-kun.”

“Yeah. And…thanks for the advice earlier. About Kindaichi.” The pixie said bashfully. “It’s…nice to talk about these things with you. I feel like I learn a lot when we have these talks, you know?”

Iwaizumi looked over at the black-haired pixie, who was looking over at him thankfully, eyes glimmering with almost the same respect Kageyama looked at Oikawa with. That was the moment Hajime understood. That was the moment he understood that…Kunimi, Kindaichi, even Hanamaki and Matsukawa…they all _appreciated_ him. Right now, Kunimi was practically thanking him for befriending the lonely pixie outcast, and for all the times he helped him out before, whether they just talked about nothing, or when they were searching for a new tree to build Kunimi’s nest. Right now…Kunimi was thanking him for relationship advice—as if he thought Iwaizumi was well experienced in that category. He probably had never thought about whether or not Hajime knew much information about the topic…when he came to the corpse in need of conversation…

Iwaizumi always had an answer.

 

Suddenly, Hajime felt very inclined to rush to Oikawa, so that he would have a relationship history to back-up his advice to Kunimi.

 

“So?” Kyoutani said, interrupting Iwaizumi’s thoughts. “Are you two going to stand here bugging me, or are you going to go back to the motel?”

“I have to get back to work,” The corpse replied. “I’ll clean up your mess later—I have some last minute decorating to do.”

“See you later, Iwaizumi-san.” Kunimi said, watching as his senpai walked out of the clearing quickly.

The werewolf looked up at the pixie, appraising his outfit silently as they were left alone together. He didn’t really see what Kindaichi saw in him, but their tastes were drastically different, so he figured that was a good thing.

“You’re the new flower boy.” Kyoutani stated. It wasn’t a question.

“Yup.”

Kunimi was terrified, but didn’t let it show.

“Have fun with that.” Mad-Dog grunted. He returned to his digging a second later, finally finding the bone he had been searching for; Kunimi watched as the werewolf silently grabbed the bone between his teeth, crawled out of the large hole, then went walking like a normal person into the forest, knawing on the hard surface aggressively. The pixie didn’t know what to think, so he returned to the bottom of his tree trunk and continued admiring the tiny pink flower Kindaichi had gifted him, wondering what the future held for the Candy Cemetery Motel.

 

~~~-~~~

While many of the motel’s occupants were suffering in their relationships, Hanamaki and Matsukawa were thriving, even after their strange behavior and thoughts during the past few days. Their misunderstanding was straightened out, and, as Oikawa said, was erased almost as if it never happened; Mattsun was happy to marry Makki, his cold feet gone entirely, and the pink-haired zombie had never been more excited for Halloween.

While Tooru was stuck up in his room, the couple were standing outside together, holding hands, right in front of the motel, admiring the scene ahead, each painted pumpkin and each string of spiders and skulls…they were sure their wedding was perfect already, and they had yet to exchange “I do’s.”

 

“Hey Mattsun,” Hanamaki prompted in the silence as they stared up at the building. “Do you think Oikawa will try to out-do our wedding someday?”

“Probably.” Matsukawa shrugged. “He’ll probably have a Christmas theme for his, and make everyone in attendance wear elf costumes.”

“Or maybe he’ll sucker his fiancé into doing a Valentine’s Day one, and make everyone dress-up half-naked so they can all be cupids.”

The zombies laughed at the odd fantasy that was Oikawa Tooru, but their thoughts quickly became a little more serious as they wondered why they hadn’t heard from Iwaizumi in a few days.

“…So…Tooru really likes Iwaizumi?” Issei asked.

“Apparently…does Iwaizumi like him _back_ , though, is the question.”

“I’ve never really seen them interact together; we’ve been pretty busy with our own relationship, I haven’t had time to investigate others. Usually Tooru gives us unwanted updates whenever he’s in a new relationship, so I guess I’m just surprised he hasn’t brought it up yet.”

Makki frowned to himself, knowing this was true; then again…Oikawa had never gushed to Hanamaki the way he did with any of his other boyfriends…did that mean something was different this time around?

“Do you think…”

“No way.” Matsukawa said, looking over at his fiancé with a disbelieving expression.

“You don’t think?”

“Well… _maybe_ …”

“I think he might…”

“Be…”

“Be falling…”

“Falling for him?”

 

The boys looked away from each other, staring at the motel thoughtfully.

 

“Well—if he _is_ , we won’t have to worry about that wedding for at least two-years.” Makki shrugged. “You know he has a weird time system for relationships.”

“True. I guess we can use that time to relish in our own success, hm?”

Hanamaki tried not to smile bashfully as Matsukawa pulled the zombie into his side by the hip, his large hand resting there sweetly.

“Guess so. Although I don’t think I could ever spend an eternity with you, Issei.”

“ _Rude_!” The other imitated.

“Okay, you _really_ need to stop doing that impersonation—I’m starting to think of it at very bad times.”

“Like when?”

“Like when you came onto me in the bathroom a few days ago? I thought you were going to start calling me ‘Iwa-chan’ or some shit, and it really freaked me out!”

Matsukawa laughed his low laugh and edged his fiancé towards the motel; they walked up the staircase with fluttering hearts, knowing the next time they saw these stones, Hanamaki would be in his wedding gown, walking up to meet his future husband. Mattsun wasn’t afraid of that idea anymore, rather thinking it was the most beautiful scene he could ever imagine—he was glad they let Oikawa talk them into getting one of his photography buddies into taking a video of the wedding. He didn’t ever want to forget the look on Takahiro’s face as he walked towards him on that special day.

 

He was also glad that each year, the mention of Halloween would remind him of his anniversary in advance, so that he wouldn’t forget to get Makki something as a present.

 

“Wait a second—are we even so sure Oikawa won’t elope when he wants to get married?” Hanamaki asked.

“If I know Iwaizumi, I think he would either insist on a nice little wedding, or be sucked into Tooru’s guilt-inducing look and go through with a trash-ass eloping party.” Mattsun nodded. “Haha—get it? Sucked? Caus’ Oikawa’s a vampire?”

“Yeah,” Makki laughed. “I get it, Issei.”

The taller zombie lifted his fiancé into his arms as they made it to the staircase Hanamaki almost lost his death on.

“Since when are you so romantic?” Takahiro asked breathlessly.

“I think the disease probably consumed me around the time I met you.”

“Smooth. But I guess I love you.”

Matsukawa smiled happily and planted a soft kiss on Makki’s temple.

“Love you too— _Hanamaki-chan_.”

“Stop!!!”

 

~~~-~~~

Iwaizumi Hajime had come to a very important conclusion:

 

Despite the fact that he did receive pay for his work, despite the fact that he had Kunimi as a friend, Hinata and Kageyama as troublesome pets, the wonders of the guests, the strange mysteries within the paintings and walls, the questions about where randomly placed artifacts came from…he concluded that there were a lot of things he could find at the Candy Cemetery Motel—

 

But freedom was not one of them.

 

The corpse was throwing what little belongings he had into a brown potato sack, mind wheeling over his sudden decision to leave the motel; his brain had suggested it randomly on his way back to the motel, where he had been planning to speak to Oikawa, only to switch his plans around and leave him a note on his window sill before running away with Hinata and Kageyama—he made the note short and sweet inside his brain, though he was sure other words would flow out when he actually got to that point.

_Dear Oikawa—_

_I hope you can forgive my absence at Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s wedding; I wish them all the best, and I hope they enjoy the wedding card I got them. I think it’s pretty damn hilarious, but what do I know about marriage?_

_I have made the sudden decision to go in search of my own adventures—if you wish to say something to me, you can find me at the nearby village of Sejoh for the next few days only. After that, I’m not so sure where I’m going to be; hopefully your articles will help me pick out a few destinations I might like to see someday. Good luck with everything, and thanks for being a good friend—I look forward to reading the newest version of Blood Journal next month._

_Yours truly,_

_Iwaizumi Hajime_

 

Iwaizumi wasn’t even sure when he was leaving; he really didn’t want to miss Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s wedding, because he loved those guys, and that would be a dick thing to do after they personally invited him, but if things got worse enough before then, he figured they would understand. If they really missed his company that much, they could just keep the funny wedding card he got them, and the small dreamcatcher inside that was to help ward off and catch bad dreams.

Every newly-wed couple has to have one, right?

Hajime’s heart was trembling with worries about the future, but he couldn’t help but notice the weight that had been lifted off his shoulders; finally. Finally, he was going to be free of this hell hole, of the dictatorship of the Miya twins. He only had about $800, and that wasn’t a lot to go on, but Iwaizumi was tough—he could survive in any forest under any conditions for as long as he needed to. He figured he would probably use that $800 on food for Hinata and Kageyama, maybe even little sweaters for them if they went somewhere cold; _maybe if I can get a job elsewhere, I ca—_

 

“You cannot run away from Halloween!”

 

The shrill yell made Iwaizumi jolt to his very core and whip around to see the old witch maid standing in his doorway, eyes wide and crazed, finger pointing straight at him.

“I’m not running away from Halloween,” Hajime corrected, swallowing nervously. “I’m finding a new life.”

“You cannot run! Halloween will find you, and it will not like that you ran away!” She insisted.

“I’m not running away!!!”

 

The moment the shout escaped Iwaizumi’s lips, he realized how much of a lie that was.

 

 _I…Am I running away?_ He wondered, breathing heavily as the witch kept mumbling her worries. _If so, who am I running away from? Oikawa, or the twins? I just…I just want to be free. Is that so much to ask for? Why does there have to be a right place and a right time for freedom? That doesn’t even make sense. I might be running away, but at least I’m doing so for a good reason._

_But is there EVER a good reason for running away?_

“Halloween is cursed…Halloween cannot be hidden from…Halloween is death itself…”

“Stop,” Iwaizumi said gently, walking over to the witch. “If I do end up running away, I’ll do it after Halloween, okay?”

“Don’t let it follow you,” She said seriously, grabbing his arm tightly. “Don’t let it follow you! Hide your tracks!”

“Okay. I’ll hide my tracks.”

The witch turned around blankly, whispering under her breath, even after Hajime sighed and led her up the staircase leading back to the main section of the motel. When he knew she was gone, he plopped down onto his bed with a stressful puff of air.

_Why can’t I make any right decisions all of a sudden? Am I really so cowardly, or is it courage that’s pushing me to escape the Candy Cemetery Motel?_

 

Before he could answer that question, another presence arrived at his doorstep.

 

Yahaba was standing in the doorway, giving Iwaizumi that damn look—the same look Kunimi gave him, the same one Kindaichi had given him, the one that said ‘we trust you, Iwaizumi-san!’ and ‘we admire you, Iwaizumi-san!’ It was as sickening as it was humbling. He stared at the wedding planner for a long time before speaking, trying to figure out what the hell these kids saw in him that he didn’t.

“It’s Yahaba, right?”

The banshee nodded, not blinking as he continued to admire the corpse with respect.

“What do you need?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Iwaizumi-san, but I’m afra—”

“Kyoutani destroyed his bed.”

Yahaba finally blinked in surprise, nodding again as he gave a slight sigh.

“Yes. I already talked to the Miya twins, and they said the witches will conjure one of the old ones up, but I was sent to have you help clean up the mess. I already have Kyoutani started, but I don’t want him ruining anything else. Would you be so kind as to help us out? If you’re not busy, that is.”

“I’m not busy,” Iwaizumi shook his head, glancing at the pile of belongings on the floor. “I’ll be up in a second—let me get my cleaning supplies first.”

“Of course!” Yahaba agreed immediately. “Take all the time you need!”

 

 _Time_ , Hajime thought, throwing himself up off his bed. _I have five days to think about my decision, to plan everything out…I wonder if Hinata and Kageyama will even want to come with me. Sure, there’d be more space for them to run around, and they’d have as much freedom as I did, then…I think I might be able to live with that. Five days is enough time to think about all of these factors._

 

_But what if by that time…I don’t want to leave?_

 

Iwaizumi didn’t let himself answer that question. He grabbed his bucket of cleaning supplies, the rag off his small table in the corner and walked up to the motel, side by side with Yahaba, to go clean Kyoutani’s room and socialize with more people he was growing more attached to by the minute.

 

He just hoped he didn’t run into Oikawa.

 

The corpse knew that if he did, he would never want to leave Candy Cemetery Motel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is really short for some reason? Idk, it'll still be interesting, but just a warning


	9. Trick Or Treat! October 29th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The welcoming party has some interesting developments-two days before Halloween.

_~October 29 th: 2 days until the Halloween Wedding~_

 

Two days before Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s Halloween wedding, a majority of the guests began showing up. Amongst those guests included some of Tooru’s oldest friends, masters, apprentices, and even a lot of his enemies; ghouls and past teachers Nobuteru Irihata and Sadayuki Mizoguchi arrived in style, Shinji Watari, another fellow pixie who was eager to meet Kunimi showed-up, lightening the mood of everyone inside the motel; Akaashi Keiji came, another fellow vampire whose attitude was much milder than any of the others, accompanied by the mysterious myth Owlman, who turned out to be an enthusiastic, loud-mouthed, grey-haired young man named Bokuto Koutaro. Tooru’s human nephew even came, though he was dressed-up as a vampire to avoid suspicion—there were others Oikawa was surprised were invited to the wedding, as there were some lingering feelings between the parties, but immortal warlock Sugawara arrived, excited and arm in arm with his partner Daichi, who was a human himself, and didn’t try to disguise it. Daichi worked at a rival magazine in Japan, so Oikawa made sure to tell him all about his newest Halloween piece before the welcoming dinner; the human took the conversation in stride, and wished Tooru the best with his article.

More beings from the Karasuno area included the demon hunter Ryu Tanaka (who brought along his HOT human sister, the famous drummer Saeko Tanaka) and the ball of energy himself Yuu Nishinoya; Matsukawa’s sweater-supplier and hesitant ghost hunter Asahi Azumane also arrived, mumbling something about his wedding gift not being good enough all the way to the dining hall…but one of the highlight arrivals was of the witch Kiyoko Shimizu and her apprentice, Hitoka Yachi. Of course, the former all but ignored Tooru’s existence, but that was okay, because he had a fun time making the younger blush like mad.

 

Despite the warm feeling of having everyone he loved surrounding him, Oikawa was still desperately searching for one face in particular.

 

The ghosts watched the welcoming dinner with rapt attention from their place on the rafters, admiring and envying the scene below. The best drapes and table cloths had been brought out for the occasion, and the dining hall was packed with the most positive energy Candy Cemetery Motel had seen in years; Tooru had finished his article, his speeches, and was now eagerly awaiting the reunion of his two best friends, watching as they silently bathed themselves in the humble attention from the guests. During dinner, they sat with their friends from the Star Wars convention and talked about how cool a Halloween wedding was; Watari was especially excited, and asked lots of questions about the food to be eaten at the wedding.

“What kind of punch is it?” The pixie asked, tugging on Matsukawa’s tattered suit sleeve. “Does it have spiders in it? Not real ones, but fake ones for effect?”

“I don’t know. Makki? Are there spiders in the punch?”

“Spiders and a touch of vodka, just for a jolt.”

“Ooo! Speaking of jolt, where’s Kindaichi-kun?”

“Sitting with your competition,” Tooru laughed, pointing over to where the mummy was sitting alone with Kunimi. “Apparently Kunimi-kun doesn’t like crowds, so he was sitting alone until his dearest mummy took pity on him.”

Shinji’s dark brown eyes widened in wonder as he stared at Kindaichi, who seemed to be hanging on the other pixie’s words, syllable by syllable.

“I like his tutu. I need one of those!”

“Don’t you have a blue one for the wedding?” Hanamaki asked with a laugh.

“Well yeah, but mine doesn’t have that much volume!”

Oikawa laughed with the rest of the table, and slowly began to feel his heart warming. It had been so long since he had seen some of his old friends…he missed them terribly, and this was the perfect occasion to have them all in one place: he was sure no moment in the rest of his existence could match the moment Hanamaki and Matsukawa were officially married, surrounded by their friends and mythical creatures of all kinds. Thinking that, he rememberd that it wouldn’t be perfect unless Iwaizumi was there, too—sure, it would _feel_ beautiful and magical, because the unification of his two best friends forever in marriage _was_ beautiful and magical…but when Tooru looked back on that day, he knew he would always remember the corpse’s absence.

As the vampire glanced around the table, admiring the view of his friends and their laughing faces, his eye caught sight of something unpleasant across the room.

 

“Wait.”

Tooru stood up from his seat to narrow his eyes, zoning in on what he hoped wasn’t real.

“Is…is that...”

“Shit.” Mattsun mumbled.

“You—You invited my WORST ENEMY to your _WEDDING_?!!!!!!”

The zombie of all zombies himself, Ushijima Wakatoshi, was sitting at a table with a few of the other Shiratorizawa crew, including the ghoul Goshiki, vampire Semi, and banshee/jester Tendo Satori.

“This is my worst nightmare!!!! Makki, Mattsun, how could you _do_ this to me?!!!” Oikawa cried in agony.

“That’s not the worst part.” Hanamaki added.

“ _What_?” Their friend exhaled in fear. “What’s the _worst_ part? Wakatoshi-chan replaced me as your best man?!”

Matsukawa thought about it for a minute.

“Well…I guess this is pretty mild compared to that. He’s going to be the priest for the ceremony.”

“ _WHAT_?!”

“He has a good speaking voice.” Makki shrugged.

 

Too shocked to reply, Oikawa stood from the table and went to fetch himself a drink of some kind; the punch tonight was non-alcoholic, but he would take whatever was available. The vampire poured himself a large glass of the deep blood red drink and shot it back— _how will I ever be able to concentrate during the ceremony?_ He thought wildly, shaking his head and trying his hardest not to look at his worst enemy. _I’ll be hating him the entire time! And his VOICE—I don’t want to hear his voice for half an hour! It’s too twisted! I can’t. I refuse. I’ll quit, and I won’t come back to be the best man unless—_

As Tooru’s gaze went upwards again, he saw something new come into his line of sight; through a bundle of Karasuno and Fukurodani people, someone with dark spikey hair, greying skin, a black sleeveless shirt with a candycorn piece on the front, and a strangely pink right cheek that wasn’t that shade the last time Oikawa had seen the decaying corpse.

 

Iwaizumi was standing on the other side of the dining hall, looking right at the vampire with a longing glimmer in his eyes that Tooru couldn’t see, because he was too shocked at the sudden appearance of Hajime after days with no contact what-so-ever.

 

 _Iwa…Iwa-chan?_ Oikawa thought slowly, eyes widening as the pair stared at each other from across the room. The punch glass fell from the vampire’s hands, though he didn’t notice. _He’s alive? He’s okay? He’s…_

 _What is he thinking?_ Hajime wondered nervously, swallowing his fear down as he slowly took a step to the side, hoping to walk towards Tooru without any delays. _Does he hate me? Did he get his article finished? Does…does he never want to see me again? He should feel that way…it would make things easier…though I’m probably lying to myself again. Him hating me would make things even worse inside my empty chest…_

 _Who am I kidding?_ _My chest has never felt fuller._

The corpse opened his mouth, wanting to speak, to mouth something to the vampire, but the second he did, Oikawa’s form bolted from the scene, exiting through the nearest doors and rushing into the hallway.

 

Iwaizumi stood there for a moment, but his legs moved naturally upon hearing his mind whisper the command “ _Follow him_.”

 

Tooru ran through the first hallway and hid himself in a small opening in the wall that had a small table and a few books lying on the surface; the motel was dimly lit at this point, most of the lightening being controlled to the dining hall itself, so he was half in shadows as he tried to collect his thoughts and breath upon seeing Iwaizumi so suddenly; barely a minute passed, however, before hurried footsteps were coming right towards his hiding place. Tooru prayed it wasn’t one of the damn Miya twins coming to “comfort him,” or worse, _Ushijima_ trying to find the bathroom or something.

Even when he caught a familiar scent with his nose, the vampire didn’t feel less on-edge.

The hallway was completely silent, save for Oikawa’s one breath and the other person’s footsteps, which were becoming softer and more hesitant the closer he got to the journalist’s spot. One, two, three…the footsteps halted right to Tooru’s left. He held his breath even more, and his eyes peeked up to the corner, waiting for someone to be looking back at him. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be someone he would never want to see him like this; vulnerability is not something he needed to show right now. He had to be confident for his article, if not because that was just how Oikawa was.

 

A few more seconds passed—Tooru could suddenly hear a heartbeat, and none other than Iwaizumi peeked around the corner, his eyes finding the vampire’s immediately.

 

The pair stared at each other for a long minute, questions running through their heads, things they wanted to say at the very tip of their tongues…but neither knew where to start. Iwaizumi looked amazing in this type of lighting, so mysterious and even sexier than usual, but Tooru…Hajime thought he looked almost _heavenly_ , and not just because he hadn’t seen the annoying journalist in a few days. The dim candlelight cast a small beam of gold across his chocolate hair, illuminating his pale skin, and his usually arrogant expression was slowly drawing down to a close, revealing a questioning, confused, but very relieved expression to the corpse.

Though he would never admit it to anyone, Hajime had missed that stupid face.

 

“Hey…Tooru.” Iwaizumi forced out.

The use of his first name made Oikawa’s response a bit higher than usual.

“Hey Iwa-chan! What brings you here? Haven’t seen you in a while—have you been busy with decorations?”

The corpse’s answer was delayed, due to his distracted mind.

“You don’t have to pretend, Crappykawa.” Iwaizumi said. “I know you’re hiding from that tool Ushijima.”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yeah huh. I heard you make a scene at the dinner table then storm off.”

Oikawa pouted, then silently beamed over the fact that Hajime missed him enough to observe the vampire before confronting him. The pair shifted awkwardly as Tooru relaxed a little into his hiding spot, the atmosphere silent and slightly tense; Oikawa was beginning to remember his anger at the corpse upon his note left at the end of the Halloween article, and wanted to say a lot of terrible things to Iwaizumi, but could only manage a few weak retorts.

“You know, it’s rude not to show up to an event in which the people of the main event invited you to. _Personally_ invited you to, I might add.” Tooru said. Even though his attitude was high, Hajime still noticed that his posture was vulnerable, his arms holding onto himself lightly, which was a strange look on the vampire. “Makki will be very disappointed, and I’m sure you’ll annoy Matsukawa as well.”

“I’m going to the wedding.”

“…You are? Really?” The journalist asked with hope.

Iwaizumi nodded.

“I do have a costume for it, so it’d be a waste _not_ to go.” The corpse shrugged. “Are you still going even though Ushijima’s the priest?”

“Of course! I won’t let that bastard keep me from my best friend’s _wedding_!”

“Good. Backing down doesn’t suit you.”

 

Tooru looked away to hide his blush, fidgeting with one of the books on the little table. Iwaizumi looked down as well, and was mentally trying to remember all the things he wanted to say to the stupid vampire; his mind was blank now that he was in front of Oikawa, and all those little quirks and perks were becoming very noticeable to him. Like how Tooru could pull off any type of outfit, casual or formal (tonight he was wearing a purple dress shirt with a black tie and light brown dress pants, and Iwaizumi was pretty sure he had perfume on), or how he sometimes spit when he talked, and it made his pink pouty lips a little bit wet, and oh how those lips were amazing to stare at…

 

“So…did you finish your article?”

“Mhm. I almost didn’t, though, thanks to your sudden absence.” Oikawa commented with some bite. “I did appreciate the Halloween essay, but your handwriting really is awful, Iwa-chan, and I prefer swapping stories face to face.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Iwaizumi said. He finally managed to maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds, making the vampire notice the sincerity behind the words. “I didn’t mean to disappear so suddenly, but the Miya twins don’t like me to interact with the guests so…intimately. I guess I just tried to distance myself for a while, because I didn’t want to upset them further. I’ll be leaving after the wedding, so I think it’s best that we distance ourselves before—”

The next words were self-explanatory, yet neither of the boys knew what those words implied; Oikawa’s eyes widened drastically, and Iwaizumi’s own became a bit watery. He didn’t know why. Maybe because he was already feeling the weight of losing his friends—these guests, all of the people that were in the dining hall for the welcoming party…they were all friends of the bride and groom. They had been, and would be for years to come. Hajime had received his invite not through friendship, but more through pity, or so he believed; whatever he had with Matsukawa and Hanamaki, and even with Oikawa Tooru…

He didn’t believe it would last.

So as much as he appreciated the gesture, Iwaizumi wasn’t going so far as to follow these friendships after October ended. He also appreciated the hope they supplied him with, inspiring him to get his own life, but…

 

This wedding was going to be the first and the last he attended.

 

Tooru stared at the corpse for a long moment, trying to determine these very thoughts, what he meant by leaving; he wasn’t given a fair chance, however, because Iwaizumi cleared his throat and turned the opposite way.

“We should get back,” He said. “You have to give your welcoming speech in a few minutes, right? You better be…after hearing you claim it’s the best speech ever, I’d like to be the judge of that.”

Oikawa forced a smile and stepped in place alongside Iwaizumi, and they began to stroll back to the dining hall, neither hurrying to be away from each other. Hajime was just so _warm_ …he had missed that warmth _so much_ …

“It’s a pretty great speech, Iwa-chan, I’m sure you’ll be impressed.”

“It _better_ be great, Shittykawa, or else I’m booing you.”

“So it’s booing and not doing anymore? I thought what we had was special, Iwa-chan!”

Hajime grumbled and blushed, and though he tried, he couldn’t stop the smile creeping to his lips. He decided to let Tooru see it one more time, before everything went to pot.

“Aww, Iwa-chan has such a precious smile!” Oikawa cooed, pinching his cheeks like a child. “It’s so adorable!”

“Stop! I’ll kill you!”

The pair were halted by the presence of Osamu, who seemed disturbed by the scene ahead; Tooru was still holding Iwaizumi’s cheeks, and Hajime’s hands were grabbing onto the vampire’s wrists, trying to pry them off.

“Um…it’s almost time for toasts, Oikawa-san.” The motel owner said, his gaze flickering over where the two were touching each other. “We’re trying to gather all of the guests into one area to hear the welcoming speech and such…but if you’re busy…I guess I can just…come back later.”

“I am busy, Osamu-kun, but Iwa-chan will understand.” Tooru said, reluctantly taking his hands off the corpse’s cheeks. The latter scowled at him, but suddenly, Oikawa’s skin returned to his when the vampire laced his fingers through Iwaizumi’s. “We can find our way back together—run along!”

 

Osamu blinked once, then slowly turned around and hurriedly left the scene.

 

“What are—”

“Come along, Iwa-chan.” Tooru smiled, tugging him forward. “I have a speech to give, and despite what rumors say, I don’t like to be fashionably late.”

“B—”

“This has turned out to be a marvelous wedding, don’t you think!?”

 

Hajime opened his mouth to respond, but found he had no words. He liked the feeling of holding the journalist’s hand, and he hated that fact.

No he didn’t.

Iwaizumi _loved_ that fact, and loved that Oikawa didn’t hate himself enough to not hold his hand or come close to him like they were walking right now; if this was almost the end of his little daydream, Hajime wanted the next few October days to last forever.

He squeezed Oikawa’s hand, and smiled when he felt the other swallow nervously.

 

They reached the dining hall much too soon, and a sharp bolt of melancholy pain shot through Iwaizumi’s hand when he let go. Tooru gave him an even look before straightening his posture and turning towards the large wooden doors. Behind that wood was the truth, the wedding party, everything Hajime was afraid to see, because it meant the beginning of the end of October, the Halloween wedding…

“You can’t run away from life, Iwa-chan.” Tooru said quietly. “So don’t try.”

Hajime’s heart pounded angrily for all to hear.

“I…I’m sorry.”

 

Oikawa didn’t reply, but smiled a bitter little smile, and pushed the doors open.

 

“And where were you?” Makki asked when the vampire sat down at their table.

“Oh, just mentally preparing myself for the welcoming speech!”

“Yeah right.” Mad-Dog snorted as he ate the food they weren’t supposed to be eating yet.

“Kyoutani’s right—he was probably talking to Iwaizumi.” Mattsun commented. “Where’s he at?”

“There he is!” Hanamaki said, waving to where the corpse had just entered the dining hall.

“Stop waving to him!” Tooru hissed in embarrassment. “You know, I really didn’t miss this when he was going a-wall—you guys tease me way too much!”

“Wait,” Watari said, glancing over at Yahaba. “Oikawa’s dating someone?”

“No!”

“Pretty much,” Hanamaki answered. “He’s always drooling over him, and they walked in on Mattsun and I having sex; the only people they have to turn to are each other to recover from that horrific experience.”

“Stop talking! You’re getting me all flustered for my speech!”

 

To end this conversation before his nerves were fried, Tooru stood up at his table, clinking a knife against his glass to gather everyone’s attention; the packed-full room immediately looked over to him, their eyes locked on the attractive journalist at the head table. Iwaizumi leaned back against the corner and watched Tooru carefully, even though he told himself to just listen to the sound of his irritating voice. This view was much better.

Tooru cleared his throat and set the knife down.

“On behalf of Makki and Mattsun, I would like to thank you all for coming this evening.” The vampire began in that smooth, playful tone. “Some of you came here for their wedding, despite the location, despite the long trip, despite the terrible company you would have to endure once getting here, and for that, the engaged couple thanks you from the bottom of their lifeless hearts.”

A few chuckles were heard here or there, and Tooru gave them a smile.

“Honestly? I’m surprised this little get-together started on time, considering how the first time I met Hanamaki and Matsukawa, we were all three late for the world premiere of the new Star Wars movie; Makki claimed it was because he had tried bartering candy and popcorn prices with the movie theater worker and as a result, had gotten escorted off the premise, where he ran into Mattsun, who was running late because he forgot that the date that day was the 17th, not the 16th like he thought—I myself was late because of some very opinionized twelve-year-old’s standing in front of me while I was waiting in the line for the movie. Long story short, we all had to stand for the entire movie because we were a good fifteen-minutes late, but at least two of us gained something from that experience.”

 

Hanamaki rolled his eyes and Iwaizumi shook his head with a tiny smile, trying to imagine Oikawa arguing about Star Wars with a bunch of twelve-year old’s, which wasn’t that difficult.

 

“But the story of how we became officially introduced is for my second toast on the eve of October 31st! I would like to thank the dedicated workers of the Candy Cemetery Motel—yes, I’m looking at you, Iwa-chan—for helping make this past month one of the best learning experiences of my entire existence.” Tooru grinned. “And how bout a round of applause for these breathtaking Halloween decorations?”

The crowed clapped loudly, making Hajime blush madly, even though nobody knew that he was the Iwaizumi that stupid journalist was referring to. When the claps died down, Tooru continued in a surprisingly vulnerable tone.

“Having been here with Makki and Mattsun for the entirety of October in preparations for the wedding, I can honestly say that I’ve experienced much more than I ever thought I would. I didn’t know that being the best man of the Halloween wedding meant that you have to think about _love_ all the time, but I found myself wondering more and more about the subject each passing day, even when the Halloween theme of the wedding was outshining the romantic side. I learned of tragic love, pure love between my friends, which, even though I knew already existed, become more known to me throughout our days together…I also learned of difficult love.” Oikawa admitted. “Sometimes love doesn’t make it all the way to a wedding; sometimes its beginnings and middles are complicated with insecurities, longing and a deep rooted fear that’s been a factor in love ever since that bastard Shakespeare’s times! Thankfully, my own thoughts and opinions of love have been stirred onto the right path by watching Hanamaki and Matsukawa growing as a couple, even weeks before their wedding—I’d like to thank them for setting a good example, and teaching me that love grows each minute spent with one another.”

Matsukawa’s dark eyes drifted over to Hanamaki’s, the latter who was already staring lovingly at his fiancé; they leaned forward quickly and pressed a soft kiss against the other’s lips.

“I’d also like to thank my zombie friends for giving me a bunch of ideas for when _I_ have a Halloween wedding someday!”

 

Tooru winked at Iwaizumi from across the room, making the other sigh and roll his eyes; Atsumu, for some strange reason, thought this comment was directed towards _him_ , and felt pride stirring inside his chest. The others laughed, and Matsukawa nudged his friend’s arm playfully.

 

“Since this is a welcoming party for the guests of the wedding to be, I will point out that you’re all doing a very noble thing here; despite what those dorky poets have been saying for the past two-hundred years, love is a very sensitive thing.” Tooru said honestly. His eyes were slowly making their way to the left of the room. “To come all this way to share an entire day with a couple who are so in love that they couldn’t stop themselves from spreading that emotion with other people…that takes something special. Especially for those who are already in relationships themselves and are envious of the attention, or those who have failed in their own relationships and can barely stand to see other couples so happy, and, of course…for those lonely souls who have never loved at all…”

 

Oikawa’s eyes landed on Iwaizumi’s across the dining hall. The corpse stared back, expression unreadable. Had Tooru been able to listen, he would have heard Hajime’s heart beating so harshly it was threatening to poke-out from the hole in his chest.

 

“If you had declined to attend the wedding of Makki and Mattsun…that delicate love easily could have been overturned. Bitterness is a truly powerful force that delights in rocking the boat, and, if the amount of love is cracking, throwing the boat over entirely. What I’m getting at is that Hanamaki and Matsukawa really appreciate all of you putting aside your bitterness, or your petty feelings towards love to come celebrate their infinite union of devotion and everlasting affection. It means the world to them, I think, so you should all be very proud of yourselves for attending tonight, even if it was against your will; we’ll talk more about love in my second speech, so to finish things up, I’d like to make a short toast—if you would all raise your glasses…”

Everyone did so, but Iwaizumi continued to stare at Tooru as the journalist smiled and looked towards his two best friends.

“A toast—to the bride and groom, to the ghouls, the guests, the banshees and werewolves who are here tonight. As my oldest friend Henry David Thoreau says, ‘Love must be as much a light as it is a flame.’ Thank you for coming…let’s hope this Halloween goes as smoothly as last year.”

Oikawa smiled much too mysteriously to be innocent.

 

“Cheers.”

 

“Cheers!”

 

Tooru took a sip from his glass, eyes finding their way back to Iwaizumi’s immediately; some people were clapping, but Oikawa couldn’t hear them anymore. Hajime lifted a nearby glass to his lips, taking a sip of whatever was inside, and the journalist noticed just how glazed-over Iwa-chan’s dark brown eyes really were—he wondered what the corpse was thinking, what he thought about the toast, the hints, what he was feeling towards Tooru, though he had a feeling with the wedding of the century only two days away…

 

He would find out, good or bad, very very soon.

 

The Halloween wedding of Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost the end! (Weeps)  
> This last chapter is gunna be lonnnnngggg. And I only have a day to write it because I have to work on Tuesday...and there's a shitton of Halloween/wedding descriptions to do...  
> Oopsie!


	10. October 31st,Day of the Halloween Wedding!

_~October 31 st: DAY OF THE HALLOWEEN WEDDING!~_

 

**_BLOOD JOURNAL_ **

**_October Issue, 2017_ **

Till DEATH Do Us PART

 

_The journey of a couple whose Halloween-themed wedding shook the romantic industry of Japan_

_By Oikawa Tooru_

 

(IMAGE, O. Tooru, Invitations of the Halloween Wedding)

 

(Miyagi Prefecture, Japan)   Beside the Candy Cemetery Motel, right off the pumpkin patch at the back door of the building sits a colorful, dooming forest, whose only light source comes from above, the full moon sitting at the very tips of the short oak trees. This forest, deemed the “Forest of Black Skies” by the superstitious locals, has been covering the property for over three-hundred years, long before the Candy Cemetery Motel was built by the famous architect and ex-warlock, Igor Thurteanth; each stone passageway contains spiritual energy from past suicides that took place in the building, strange Friday the 13th occurrences that no living person knows the truth about, the terror of knowing that the black forest is the only possible escape route, and countless legends that remain unconfirmed to even those who took residence in the motel at their suspected time period. These stones contain the broken spirits of time, where wounds never heal, and the ghosts watch the living with envy and an even amount of pity, knowing that someday, all of these walking souls will be gone, one way or another, like all the guests before them.

 

This haunted location, full of mystery, blood and wonder, is where zombies Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei chose to have their Halloween-themed wedding, taking place October 31st, the Night of the Living Dead.

 

As the engaged couple may have mentioned before, I, Oikawa Tooru, am one of their oldest friends, and served as the best man for their happy day; I began writing this article immediately after first laying eyes on the haunted motel itself, quickly becoming intrigued and lured-in by the scene’s enchantments. The dark bricks, the elegant reds and blacks of the décor, the stone floor below my feet, full of spiritual splatters and secrets…long-time motel worker and decorator Iwaizumi Hajime couldn’t have said it any better:

“You never know what ghosts you could unleash by disturbing objects where you aren’t wanted.”

During my month stay at the Candy Cemetery Motel (currently owned by two of Japan’s strictest businessmen), I can honestly say that this location was both haunted, magical, and mysterious, all wrapped up in one present. To make the reader understand the depth of this motel’s violent and spooky history, let us hear the words of Iwaizumi once again, as he has lived at the motel since a young age, and knows all the traditions of the neighboring village Ghoulville, a town which holds many non-believing humans and superstitious gypsies.

“There are those who believe with fear, and those who believe to disbelieve.” The worker told me as we sat at an aging tea table together. “They have their traditions that would make us think they subconsciously believe in the supernatural, but they claim the parade and games are all done witsh fun in mind.”

Fun is the last thing this motel had until Hanamaki and Matsukawa became engaged early this January, and decided to go with their instincts, choosing a location that gave them the idea to have a Halloween-themed wedding in October. The place they chose has a bloody past, starting from the very beginning of the motel’s existence, the event taking place said to have cursed the motel and any of its success.

 

Igor Thurteanth was married to a sweet young lady named Candy, and brought her with when he began to build his motel meant to safely hold the supernaturals of Japan. The motel had been open for one year before a Friday the 13th tragedy _shattered_ the innocent relationship to a million pieces: one cold night, Igor’s wife was walking on her own near the pumpkin patch. Igor himself had a bad feeling that day, due to the negative thoughts and superstitions surrounding Friday the 13 th, and decided to go looking for his wife to ensure her safety—unfortunately, the moment Igor ran to find Candy, he ran right into a cat, a cat as black as the sky, as dark as the shadows of the forest.

Immediately after this horrible omen, Candy became lost inside the Forest of Black Skies.

It was there, deep in the trees that she stumbled upon a cult of evil witches, who, when Igor’s wife tried to run away, quickly stitched a voodoo doll up as a method of torture—as Igor desperately searched for his wife, the witches stabbed a single needle through the doll’s stomach, resulting in a large gaping wound appearing on Candy’s stomach.

As the young woman laid in the forest, bleeding out, the luscious scent of her blood attracted a group of hungry vampires, who then _devoured_ what was left of poor Candy right as her husband and some village people arrived to help; the helpers died one by one as they journeyed into the trees, all by mysterious and gory incidents attributed to Friday the 13 th. Igor was alone by the time he made it to his wife, and by then, it was far too late. He held Candy as she passed on into the next life, weeping freely and feeling his heart break inch by inch.

The Candy Cemetery Motel, lovingly named after Mr. Thurteanth’s beautiful bride before her death, was sold days after, as Igor couldn’t begin to bear the pain and emptiness surrounding the property; legend has it the ex-warlock roamed (and may _still_ roam) the earth for the remainder of his miserable days, drowning his soul in layers of _guilt_ and unspeakable _sorrow_ , wandering here nor there, with no destination, no purpose, no will to go on. As for his second dream, the motel for supernaturals, floor six has not been used or rented out since the first year of its opening; that haunted level is reserved for the hundreds of paintings of Candy Thurteanth, preserved by the spirits of time for her memory.

 

Now—with such a painfully tragic, bloody background of the only relationship to step foot in this motel, who would ever be willing to have their _wedding_ , the happiest reunion of love to exist, at a place like this?

 

Simply put, Hanamaki and Matsukawa love creepy things. Being zombies themselves, I suppose their love for spider decorations, Bloody Mary punches and mummy finger hot dogs makes sense; the eerie front stone steps of the motel served as the location for the wedding ceremony (pictured below), while the short reception was held in the large dining hall on the first floor, a room full of _thousands_ of colorful pictures and portraits dated back from centuries ago, when I was just a little vampire reading my first magazine article. This haunted space was redecorated for the wedding night, splashed with orange and black, blood reds and deep purples, all colors that most brides would gag at if they saw those shades combined with a wedding:

(IMAGE)

_“A picture can say a thousand words…but a thousand words could never do the picture justice, just like a thousand words could never match the reality of a thousand pictures.”_

Within the month of October, Iwaizumi turned the Candy Cemetery Motel into a romantic house of horror for the celebration, beginning with intricately designed invitations (Iwaizumi’s doing again) and Day of the Dead painted animal skulls pinned around the outside window sills. The large winding staircase shined with glow in the dark paint depicting skulls, roses, hearts and pumpkins along each step, but a bit of weirdness was added by stringing mounted bat bodies on the railing. Admittedly, myself and a few other guests shrieked when we accidently touched those creepy little things…this wedding certainly went all-out with its theme.

Despite rumors that this was strictly a horror-filled wedding, I would like to mention the fact that the table cloths were made of spiderwebs that had hearts webbed into each inch, and that Hanamaki and Matsukawa are not in love because of an equal obsession with gore and head-chopping—they did spend a lot of money on red decorations that involved fake blood-apple bobbing, but I can testify that most of this wedding was in fact, romantic as hell. The dark lighting of the dining hall provided a passionate, true hue of the deepest love this world has ever known, casting a red glow over the entire scene, the white-light spotlight shining down on the couple as they held and cherished each other even _before_ the wedding began. We, the honored guests, sat back and admired the scene, completely starstruck and overwhelmed by the amount of decorating that had to be done in order to achieve such a drastic amount of love and eeriness, all in one ball of fun.

 

It’s safe to say that a Halloween-themed wedding is about to be the “it” thing of the wedding industry.

 

Iwaizumi, having been employed at the motel since he was orphaned at the age of eleven, told me that it was nice to have such positive energy inside the hallways of the Candy Cemetery; normally, what with the superstitions surrounding Ghoulville and the hotel for supernatural creatures, there isn’t anything but fear and concern felt at each turn. With the arrival of the bride and groom on October 1st, however, Iwaizumi-san said he could _sense_ the change in the atmosphere, starting with the strange incident of Hanamaki and Matsukawa walking into the motel with smiles on their faces.

“Normally people are afraid that they’re forced to spend a night at this motel,” Hajime told me. “Instead of a sanctuary for the supernatural world, the bloody past of this location created kind of a dooming aura, one that scares people off pretty quickly. The guests that willingly check in might be involved in cults, black magic, various other types of dark activities…so for Hanamaki and Matsukawa-san to have their wedding, of all things, here at the motel…it’s a cool situation. I’m really glad they decided to celebrate here, and I hope I was able to make their day special.”

 

Special it was, and unique as ever it _definitely_ was. This Halloween wedding will be talked about for years, despite the scrutiny of the bride and groom’s families, despite the shaming from the wedding industry…it will be remembered forever, if not for its genius decorations and meals, then for the “sinister passion” of the married couple.

 

(IMAGES, O. Tooru, Above, Iwaizumi Hajime and Kunimi Akira create glowing orbs to be used as lighting for the short reception. Below, Kunimi Akira hovering a light inside my motel suite. Right, the room of decorations and costumes that had yet to be hung-up and worn. Left, line-up of the wedding night.)

HALLOWEEN LINE-UP:

8:30 PM—Uniting marriage ceremony

9:00 PM—Reception/Speeches

9:30 PM—Trick Or Treat game for all guests in the neighboring 

village of Ghoulville; whoever gathers the most candy/best gift for the bride and groom wins a surprise!

 

On October 31st, 2017, Halloween night, Mr. and Mr. Matsukawa were officially married.

 

All guests were asked to wear Halloween costumes for the occasion, as if everyone was able to revert back to their childhood selves for a night, while the bride and groom themselves wore haunting, yet romantic outfits fit for queens and kings of the dead. Instead of spending over $20,000 on their outfits, the couple asked the seamstress of the motel to create the dress and suit they had designed for their wedding day. Iwaizumi turned out to be the expert of this skill as well, and made a beautiful, sexy black feather gown for Hanamaki with orange tulle at the bottom, a creepy black lace train following after, and accessories including spiderweb gloves, shockingly elegant body shimmer, and intimidating glimmers of teal gemstones; Matsukawa’s suit was as equally as alluring, though even he would admit that his fiancé, now husband, definitely stole the spotlight.

Not that he minded at all.

(IMAGE, O. Tooru—Hanamaki trying on his fitted wedding gown for the first time.)

What can be learned from such an experience? Well, for starters, black and white _do_ mix to form beautiful scenes; secondly, _anything_ can be romantic, even a haunted, eerie place like the Candy Cemetery Motel in Japan, as long as the love is strong and pure enough to conquer the overshadowing ghosts and bloody history. The theme doesn’t matter—the location and outfits don’t matter. It doesn’t matter if the entire wedding industry thought this idea was childish and “sick” for a wedding.

 

At the end of the day, did Hanamaki and Matsukawa really care about the things surrounding them, the decorations, the costumes, the music, the lighting?

The answer to that is very simple, and has taught me so much within one syllable: _no_.

 

The rest of the wedding is history, for another time, another story for years to come, when the guests and friends of Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei reflect on one of the happiest days of their lives, while we all sit and wonder to ourselves the same question:

 

What will the _next_ wedding of the century bring?

 

 

Iwaizumi lowered the article down slowly, reliving and remembering the stories he gave Oikawa for the piece as he stared up at the front of the Candy Cemetery Motel; he liked how despite the wedding not even having taken place yet, Tooru was able to capture all of the moments perfectly, the details effortlessly included, even the tiniest mentions of some of the coolest aspects of Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s wedding that was yet to glow at its finest hour. He thought he himself was mentioned in the article way too much, but found that a little attention wasn’t so bad, since he was going to be leaving shortly after the wedding; it was also hilarious how the twins themselves were only mentioned in passing—when the _Blood Journal_ published the story on September 2 nd, he was sure they wouldn’t find any of the contents very amusing.

 _At least he didn’t call me Iwa-chan_ , Hajime thought, shaking his head in distaste. _He made it seem like I’m the only one who made this wedding happen, though; sure I made the wedding dress, the tux for the groom, the decorations, the table cloths, etc. etc., but Kindaichi and Oikawa helped with a lot too…it wasn’t just me. There’s no way I could have done this on my own without a bit of inspiration, and the wedding party definitely gave me more than I could handle._

Hajime stared ahead at the motel, noting that it looked like a haunted house with all the creepy decorations sitting out, the pumpkins leading up the staircase, the black alter standing on the very top of the stones…to a certain degree, Iwaizumi was going to miss this place. This was where he had been since he was _eleven years old_. This was where he had learned his fixing skills, his painting skills, life lessons that taught him a lot; it was like the end of an era. With what had been going on for the past two years, Hajime was glad for the fact, but there was a part of his heart that felt nothing but sweet bitterness upon reflecting on the scene in front of him. Certainly, the corpse would never forget living here, would never forget the scares, the cares, the stories he learned along the way…but now, it was time to make his own stories. Stories he could control, stories he made himself, ones that didn’t go back to his title as a decaying corpse.

 

_Time to say goodbye, old friend._

 

He already had his belongings packed-up; his bed was made for the next mechanic and workman of the motel, and he cleaned his tiny room one last time, ensuring that he took each little possession that meant something to him. He left only one object in the dungeon, and that was a single piece of paper, one that had a drawing of a vampire on the front, and a list of all loopholes for the motel on the back side. Iwaizumi remembered coloring that picture during one of his first years employed at the building, copying it from a weird dream he had of a vampire winking at him in the middle of a forest—maybe it was telling the future, or maybe it was just coincidence…but either way, Hajime decided to leave the paper in his room, as the only reminder that he ever existed there, his twelve-year-old signature on the bottom corner of the page.

Iwaizumi released a deep sigh through his nose and closed his eyes.

_This could be the last time I ever see the motel like this again…this moment is real. I’m finally leaving. I’ll finally be free from the horror of this building, it’s haunted occupants, it—_

“Iwaizumi!”

Hajime opened his eyes abruptly to see Matsukawa barreling towards him; for a second, he thought the zombie had read his mind and was coming to stop him from leaving.

“Iwaizumi,” Mattsun breathed, halting in front of him. “Can Makki and I mention you in our thank-you speech?”

“You ran all the way out here to ask that?” Iwaizumi snorted.

“Well _Oikawa_ sure wasn’t going to do it.” The zombie rolled his eyes. “He just _does_ things, he never asks permission.”

“I don’t care…it’ll be my one minute of fame, I guess.”

Matsukawa gave a smile that seemed a little on the mischievous side.

“So…how are you? Nervous?”

“Why would I be nervous? You’re the one getting married today…how do _you_ feel, Matsukawa?”

The tall zombie smiled a bit milder this time, but his hands were behind his back, and that made Hajime increasingly suspicious.

“I’m really great—Hanamaki and I are so excited to see all the decorations, and for the smoke dance for our first dance as husband and wife. For once, Oikawa had a really cool idea, bringing that up.”

“Yeah—even _I_ was impressed when he told me about it. Not that I let him know that, of course…”

“I know what you mean; he’s a pain in the ass, but I love the guy.” Mattsun shrugged. “…Can I ask you something, Iwaizumi?”

The corpse paused for a moment, trying to decipher the strange expression on Issei’s face.

“…Only because it’s your wedding day…”

“I was just wondering what _you_ thought of Oikawa,” Matsukawa said. “I mean, you guys have been hanging out with each other since the beginning of October, and I know Tooru like-likes you, so I was just wondering if you felt the same way, so he won’t have to be the third wheel anymore.”

 

Iwaizumi felt blush rushing over his cheeks before he could come to terms with what the zombie was implying; Oikawa… _like-liked_ him? What? Since when? They held hands and shit, but he couldn’t _like-like_ him, right? That was ridiculous. He was too focused on his article and the wedding, there’s no way he could have had time to…

Oikawa _like-liked_ him?

 

“I take it you’re still on the fence about him.” Issei smiled, nudging Hajime on the arm as his mouth gaped open. “That’s cool; everyone who’s friends with that bastard are still contemplating their decision to become friends with him. It’s become the story of his life, so don’t worry if you don’t have an answer for me right away. I’ll see you at the wedding tonight, alright man?”

“Um…yeah…I’ll…I’ll see you there.” Hajime said painfully slowly as the zombie began to walk away. “See you. Good luck.”

“I’m gunna need it!”

 

Iwaizumi went back to staring at the motel as the groom left the scene—this time, however, he was seeing someone _other_ than the Miya twins when he looked at the brick wall. And he was disappointed to find that his heart had begun beating in that same way it did whenever _HE_ was around.

 

_Shit._

 

What was Oikawa and the bride to be doing at this time? Well, like all jittery brides, Hanamaki was seeking comfort and exchanging giddy giggles with his wedding party.

Kunimi, after spending most of his morning talking to Kindaichi as they softly pressed their arms together and leaned against a tree by the pumpkin patch, joined the little party with Oikawa, Hanamaki, Yahaba and Watari as they sat in their robes, waiting for the makeup artist to arrive; they admired their costumes and dresses while Makki wouldn’t stop staring at his ring and forcing Tooru to refer to him as Mr. Matsukawa. Oikawa did so with high-spirits, wondering how his friend was so calm and chill when his wedding was only hours away, and how he could be gushing so much when he and his fiancé had just had a strange day where they weren’t really positive this wedding was going to happen.

However strange it was to him, the vampire didn’t mention the incident, and continued to wait on his friend hand and foot, lying in bed with the zombie as they fantasized about how beautiful the ceremony would be.

“I still can’t believe you chose _Ushiwaka_ as your damn priest for your _wedding_ —and without consulting me first!” The journalist complained, poking Hanamaki’s stomach. “Yahaba, did you agree to these terms?!”

“They told me it would be funny, Oikawa-san…”

“We were telling the truth! Isn’t this funny, Yahaba-kun?” Makki laughed. “Of course, it would have been even funnier if Mad-Dog was the flower boy, but Kunimi’s cute, so it’s a good thing we added some cuteness to the ceremony.”

The pixie wasn’t sure to think of this compliment from his senpai, so he turned away and played with the silk ribbons on the back of his pink flowing skirt that revealed just enough of his pale skin for the makeup artist to put temporary flower tattoos on his shins. Kindaichi would later be driven mad from the sight, but that’s a story for a different time.

Tooru pouted to himself, but was smiling the entire time, beaming over the fact that his _best friends_ were getting _married_. To each other. After all this time.

 

“I’m really proud of you guys, Makki.” Oikawa said, turning over on his side to look at his friend. “Will you tell me something about you two, though?”

“Depends on what that something is—is it a question about our sex life?”

“Ew, no! For the last time, Makki, I don’t want to know about that! _Jeez_ …any-wayyyy…I want to know what it felt like waking-up to Mattsun this morning.” Tooru asked. “What did it feel like seeing him in the morning, knowing that today was the day you two were going to be bound forever?”

Hanamaki raised an eyebrow.

“I fail to see why I should answer that question.”

“For future article purposes, Makki! I need romance for my next article in February!”

“Fine, fine.” Takahiro sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He thought for a long moment, biting his lip gently as he remembered waking-up to Mattsun this morning, seeing the same image as always, drool pouring from his fiance’s open mouth, hair mushed to the side of his head…he remembered how he had stopped and corrected himself, knowing how tomorrow morning, he would be calling the zombie his husband, not his fiancé or boyfriend.

Makki turned to look at Oikawa with a small smile.

 

“It’s like…every day is Halloween.” He said.

Tooru stared for an explanation, heart stuttering in his chest.

“Like…every day is an exciting, creepy, you-never-know-what’s-going-to-happen kind of day. That’s what it felt like…it was really beautiful at the same time, you know? Even though everything was dark and mysterious…that’s the fun of knowing that after today, things will feel different. Every day will be Halloween, because that’s what we chose as our theme for our wedding, our bonding ceremony, if you will—this is setting the bar for the rest of our eternity together. Does that make sense?”

 

Tooru finally blinked, heart jumping to a rash, but certain conclusion.

 

“Yes,” He said hurriedly, sitting-up. “I’ll be right back!”

 

The bride’s wedding party stared in confusion as Oikawa sprinted out of the room, still wearing his silk alien robe as he ran into the hallway, chasing something invisible to them, not looking back a single time. _Iwa-chan_ , he thought hurriedly, hoping he didn’t trip going down the stairs. _I have to tell Iwa-chan how I feel. I hope he’s not busy…I have to tell him NOW. I have to, before my courage goes away, before I feel afraid of forever, before…before the Miya twins do something worse to him. What am I going to say, though? I don’t know what I’m even feeling, so how do I know what I’m going to say? No. No, don’t think like that, Tooru. Just go with your heart. Go with your heart, and find Iwa-chan…_

The vampire made it to the stone staircase in record time, swooping down the stairs and making sure to avoid the short ceiling above. He didn’t bother to knock and stormed into Iwaizumi’s tiny room, his mouth wide open, his heart ready to profess whatever was stuck inside.

But…there was no one there.

Oikawa’s mouth slipped closed as he glanced around the room frantically, seeing literally nothing but a straw bed, an empty shelf, and a newly swept floor. Iwaizumi wasn’t there. Hinata nor Kageyama were there, either. There was no one. Hajime’s belongings, the costume Tooru bought for him, the trinkets and sheets and toys…

They were all gone.

 

“…Iwa-chan?” Tooru asked fearfully, voice shaking. “A-Are you here?”

 

No one replied.

 

Oikawa plopped down on the bed, hands trembling with the fearful thought that Iwaizumi had _lied_ , that he left _before_ the wedding, that he abandoned Tooru before he got the chance to tell him how he felt…the vampire could feel his heart racing with jolts of pain keeping him from falling unconscious, how he couldn’t bear to look at the empty room any longer—

 _But…but I need to tell him how I feel,_ the journalist thought pathetically, covering his face as he shivered on the bed. _He wouldn’t leave like that, would he? Iwa-chan promised, and he doesn’t break his promises…at least, I don’t think he does…_

_Where did he go? Why did he leave so suddenly?_

Tooru tried to collect himself, taking in a deep breath before releasing it into the silent of the bedroom, where Hinata and Kageyama were usually harassing each other in the background as Iwaizumi and Oikawa spoke to each other, accidently brushing skin, purposely breathing so that the other could feel the air on their goosebumps. That couldn’t be gone so soon, could it? Hajime couldn’t have forgotten those moments…he _couldn’t_ have…

A sinking feeling fell in the pit of his stomach.

 

_Did I miss my chance?_

 

For a long ten-minutes, Oikawa sat on Iwaizumi’s bed, contemplating over everything he had felt with Iwa-chan during the past month. It had been real—that he was sure of. He felt different things with Iwaizumi, wondered about love, it’s loopholes and perks, how nice it would be to have someone he actually _wanted_ to be around for once…he liked when Iwaizumi teased him, because he could hear the fondness in their voices…he was finally standing up for something like that, and now…Iwa-chan…had left? Without even saying goodbye?

Tooru thought about the situation for a while, going through the options in his head as he held himself together with his arms, hating the fact that the warmth of Hajime’s room had left with him. _I could sit here and mope around, causing Hanamaki to come looking for me, or I could go back up there and pretend like nothing’s wrong, even though Makki would be able to tell something was very wrong_ , the journalist thought, forcing back tears. _I could cry a little bit, but then as soon as I do that, I know Iwa-chan would come back, and then he’d think I was a weenie way too much in love with him, and that would scare him off again…I don’t want that to happen…_

_Why has my three-hundred-years left me unprepared for this moment?_

Tooru was becoming really stressed out, and as the best man of the wedding, that was the _last_ thing he needed to be feeling on the eve of the wedding, on Halloween night; because of this, Oikawa went with his second option: he would busy himself with Hanamaki’s dress and makeup, get dressed himself, fiddle around with Kunimi’s magic, if he would let him, and by that time, the wedding will have started, and he could focus on nothing but the joy of his two best friends. After that, he would be focusing on his best man speech for the reception, and then he could focus on getting everyone to gang-up on Ushijima for the Treat Or Treat contest so that HE could win whatever the surprise was, all while scaring the shit out of the human locals in Ghoulville.

 

_But…it’d be a lot more fun if Iwa-chan were there…_

 

“Get it together, Tooru.” The vampire said out-loud, swallowing his tears and shaking his head. “Don’t be such a selfish bastard—this is Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s day, not yours. Worry about your romantic life _after_ their wedding. Maybe even after their honeymoon. Just…not tonight, understand?”

_I understand._

“Good. Now go back upstairs—Makki needs you.”

A stray tear had escaped Oikawa’s right eye, but he quickly brushed it away and turned around to stomp back up to the bride’s suite. He saw Iwaizumi every corner he turned, but Tooru forced himself to be strong, to not remember how he held Iwa-chan’s hand, even the one with the hole in it, how the corpse was so warm, how he flexed that one day, how he let Tooru have a bowl of pumpkin seeds, how he spent hours with him telling stories in that voice…

 

“Where did you go?” Hanamaki asked once his best man returned, looking sluggish and disheartened.

“Oh nowhere,” Tooru shrugged it off, taking a seat next to the makeup artist. “Are you ready to get dressed for your WEDDING, Hanamaki-chan?!”

“I guess.”

“You can’t _guess_ , Makki—it’s a yes or no question.”

“Yes!”

“Excellent!” The vampire cheered, grabbing the hanger that held the zombie’s dress. “Let’s get you dolled-up!”

The other members of the wedding party grinned happily, drifting over to help Hanamaki over to the makeup artist’s stool, gushing and commenting on where he should put the body glitter, how dark his eyeshadow should be, etc. etc. It was such a typical way to spend the day with the bride-to-be, and even though Tooru’s own heart was feeling a dark emptiness inside, just as Iwaizumi’s old bedroom was, he was thrilled to be there with his best friend. He wanted him to be the center of attention, the bride of all brides, the most _beautiful_ zombie on the face of the earth so that Mattsun would almost faint when he saw his bride—

 

With all this commotion going on, Tooru forced himself to forget about Iwaizumi Hajime—at least until _after_ the wedding.

 

~~~-~~~

 

And what was the famous Iwa-chan doing at this time? Well, he was asking his two pets for advice while sitting in the pumpkin patch, where he had hidden his bag of belongings and the knight costume for the wedding he would be attending that night.

 

With Suguru busy making the Halloween dishes for the reception and the Miya twins hurrying around, making sure everything was in place, Iwaizumi had been left in peace for the first time in two-years; with this time to himself, he was doing a lot of reflecting on his feelings towards a stupid cocky vampire journalist named Oikawa Tooru, who may or may not have been adorable when he talked about aliens.

“It’s not like I can tolerate the guy for more than ten-minutes when he’s acting like a jerk,” Hajime told Hinata, who listened with rapt attention as they sat in the pumpkin patch, the warm autumn sun glittering down on them. “He’s a tool sometimes, too, and I get really annoyed when he calls me that damn nickname in that damn whiney voice—‘Iwa-chan! Ur head is too big for your brain, Iwa-chan!’ It makes me sick, but I hate how when anyone else calls me that, and I get all defensive and wish it was _Oikawa_ calling me that, not them. Does that make any sense?”

Hinata looked over at Kageyama, who was confused at the idea of love.

The corpse gave a deep sigh and plopped down on his back, covering his face with his hands, in hopes of Tooru’s image making everything clear to him. It didn’t work, and only made Iwaizumi miss the vampire more. He felt more touched starved by the minute, and wanted to be the one to initiate the hand-holding this time around.

“This is way too out of my range…I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. Should I just…should I just go to him? Ask him how he feels about everything?” Hajime wondered out-loud. “No no…I can’t do that…this is Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s wedding day. I don’t want to take the attention off them…but how can I let that bastard know how I feel?”

 

Iwaizumi sat up again, aggressively pulling on his hair, as if that would solve all his problems.

 

“Okay—Hinata. Bark once if you agree, or twice if it’s a no. Kageyama, you meow once if you agree, meow twice if you disagree. Understand?”

The creatures gave some kind of silent agreement, and Hajime thought of some options.

“Should I ask Oikawa to come with me?” He asked.

Hinata looked over at the black cat, whose expression was confused. Neither of their mouths opened.

“Okay…should I _not_ ask Oikawa to come with me?”

Nothing again. Hinata blinked, but that wasn’t an answer. He was distracted by the bee buzzing around behind his owner’s head.

“You know, you guys really aren’t helping me out here. Should I tell Oikawa how I feel about him at all?”

Kageyama licked his lips, then began licking his butt.

“Well what then?!!! Should I just go with the flow, see where the wind takes me after the wedding?!”

“ _Woof_!”

“ _Meow_!”

“You sons of bitches.” Iwaizumi growled, standing up to pace. “I knew you would agree with that…”

 

The creatures watched in amusement as Hajime walked back and forth between the pumpkins, mind racing and heart wandering, unsure what to do; he liked Tooru. As much as he hated him, he really really _liked_ him. It made no sense what-so-ever, but Iwaizumi figured that was the beauty of love; there was no time to do anything before the wedding. Things might be more enjoyable if there was, but Hanamaki was probably already in his gown, and the guests were probably already getting into their costumes—this only left the corpse with one option.

He glanced over to where his bag was hidden between the two largest pumpkins in the garden; sitting beside the bag was the knight outfit Tooru bought for him. It was unused, shined-up, and ready to be worn, ready for battle.

 _Well_ , Iwaizumi sighed, swallowing his fear as he slowly approached the costume. _This is definitely a battle I’ll be heading into…I guess I should be prepared for bloodshed. I am in love with a vampire, after all…_

“Shit.”

Hinata and Kageyama looked back up at their owner.

“I’m…I’m in _love_ with _Shittykawa_?”

“ _Woof_!”

“ _Meow_!”

“Oh shut-up you two!”

 

Iwaizumi bent down and gently picked up the knight costume, running his hand over the fabric; he could clearly see Tooru’s face in the armor, how happy he had been to see that Hajime loved the gift, as proven when he hugged him so tightly he thought his heart was going to burst…Iwaizumi touched his open gaping heart, remembering how overwhelming it had felt, feeling Oikawa’s heartbeat against his, feeling how much Tooru wanted him to appreciate the gift…

That must have been when he really started to fall for that alien-loving bastard.

The corpse grabbed hold of the candycorn patch on his shirt, ripping it off with one pull. He tossed it somewhere into the forest, feeling a huge weight be lifted off his broad, over-worked shoulders; Kageyama stared in amazement at his senpai, and Hinata yelped in excitement, feeling something change in the atmosphere around them. It felt something like… _hope_. Determination. Possibility.

 

Hajime sighed again—a deep, shaking sigh—and turned around to face his pets.

 

“Alright,” He announced. “Let’s go get ready for the Halloween wedding of the century.”

 

~~~-~~~

_Night of the Halloween Wedding!_

 

That night, a few minutes before 8:30 PM, Halloween night, all two-hundred some guests were sitting at the front of the Candy Cemetery Motel, waiting and watching excitedly as Matsukawa and the groomsmen walked down the dark wedding aisle that was illuminated by candles from the creepily carved pumpkins lining-up each side. Kunimi created glowing orange orbs that were collected in witch lanterns hung over and around the ceremony space, one being right in the middle of the black-thorn arch, giving haunting hued shadows over the entire area. From Ghoulville, it looked like the hill where the motel sat was on fire; the lights and skulls pinned to each window and board were reflecting off this fiery blaze, and Iwaizumi’s light casters were making bats and skeletons dance on the doors of the motel.

The guests themselves were sitting on purple chairs that had white sheeted “ghosts” hanging on the backrest, lightly blowing in the wind to give-off an eerie feeling; everyone had dressed-up according to the date, and many of the costumes were worth looking at. Bokuto the terrifying Owlman of Tokyo was dressed as, wouldn’t you know it, a cuddly white and grey owl, his outfit matching with his mate Akaashi’s, only his feathers were a darker shade of blackish grey; Suga was dressed as a bloody nurse while Daichi was Han Solo, Kiyoko was Wonder Woman while Yachi went with an innocently adorable cat costume, Tanaka, Nishinoya and Asahi dressed-up as Dean, Castiel and Sam from Supernatural, Tendou was a _Japanese schoolgirl_ , pigtail wig and all, Semi and Goshiki went as Thing One and Thing Two…even _Ushijima_ played along and dressed in a Gandolf robe instead of a regular priest robe.

Tendou thought it was funny, at the very least.

So far, everything was perfect; the space was lit enough for everyone to see, no one had run out or cancelled anything…everything was great.

 

So why did Oikawa feel so weird?

 

The crowd began whispering excitedly when Matsukawa, Kindaichi and Kyoutani made it to the alter, standing proudly in their positions as someone readied the music player; Tooru himself was standing a good fifty-feet away, waiting for Hanamaki to come out from his hiding spot, where he and the other bridesmaids were waiting for the signal. Oikawa was happy to see Matsukawa already smiling, and when he looked at his watch, he decided that it was time to get the show on the road.

Tooru motioned for the bridesmaids to go forward, and the wedding of the century officially began.

“Step lively!” Oikawa whispered as Watari and Yahaba arranged their spider-web covered flowers, getting in line to walk down the aisle. “Don’t trip!”

The pair walked slowly, allowing everyone to admire the accuracy of their almost-Halloween outfits; Yahaba’s dress had been styled to look like an actual Banshee’s, a loose potato-sack looking thing held-up by a glowing red rope, fashionably wrapped around his body to show off his figure. Watari was sparkling already, but his purple tutu made him shine in the darkness as he practically bounced down the aisle, his feathery headband almost falling off with each bounce.

“Kunimi-kun! You’re next!” Tooru whispered encouragingly.

Kunimi’s wide eyes looked over at the vampire nervously; he gulped once, then put his hand into the black thorned basket full of orange and purple petals and began walking forward.

Kindaichi sucked in a breath behind Mad-Dog, who snorted under his breath as the pixie began gently releasing the petals onto the orange silk runway; he almost tripped once, not used to wearing shoes, much less, _two-inch heels_ , but he managed to recover and made it all the way to the end of the road, where he was greeted with a warm grin by Kindaichi. He returned it slyly, and hurried over to stand next to Watari.

 

There was only one more person left to walk down the aisle.

 

“Makki?” Tooru whispered with a deep breath, turning around. “Are you ready?”

The journalist almost had a heart attack when he couldn’t see the silhouette of his best friend in the shadow of the cluster of trees, but gave a relieved sigh when Hanamaki emerged from his hiding spot.

“Ready as I’ll ever be!”

Oikawa’s eyes locked on his friend’s outfit for the thousandth time that night, and he still couldn’t comprehend how beautiful Makki could make Halloween look. Iwaizumi had done a number on that outfit. With the black feathers, the sleekness of the dress, the cut that revealed a piece of his long legs, the ruffles and elegance at the bottom, the sexiness of the spiderweb arm gloves, the mysterious aura surrounding the zombie’s face, covered by a black lace veil decorated in spiders and hearts…he didn’t even look like a zombie.

He looked like a bride.

“You’re _breathtaking_ , Makki.” Tooru whispered with a smile, hugging his friend one last time, careful not to smear the body paint on his collarbone. “Absolutely _stunning_.”

“Thanks, Oikawa.” Hanamaki grinned. “Thanks for everything.”

“Don’t mention it!”

“Are you… _crying_? Really, Tooru? Already?”

“I’m not crying!” Oikawa cried, stepping away to collect himself. “Are you ready or what?!”

“Yeah, but if you’re gunna bawl the whole time, we might as well go now.”

The journalist laughed lightly, and signaled for the music to be played.

 

Ushijima motioned for the crowd to stand as a creepy, yet beautiful piano piece began echoing into the night all around them; Matsukawa’s eyes flickered over to the end of the aisle, and he released a quiet breath from his nose as a final ease of his lingering nerves.

 

Tooru and Hanamaki joined arms, straightening their posture as they readied themselves to walk down the aisle together; before they could, however, Oikawa made an odd, unconscious decision to glance towards his left. His eyes searched and searched and searched for a long second, and remarkably found their way to the single person he had been looking forward to seeing all night.

Iwaizumi was standing to the side of the final row of chairs, way in the back, all alone, wearing his knight costume.

The get-up fit him _perfectly_ ; the chain armor sleeves were pressed against his toned biceps flawlessly, getting a little looser near the wrist area to make sure his nice wrists and hands were still showing. Oikawa looked on in amazement at the broadness of the knight’s shoulders under the cotton cover-up, the slim stature of his waist underneath the rope loosely tied to hold the outfit together…even the teal color and knight emblem looked good on him, his tan, greying skin…he didn’t have the chain hood up, but Tooru was glad, because he had never been so happy to see that stupid spikey black hair of his.

 _He’s here!_ The vampire cheered silently, staring at the corpse with no shame. _He came! What is he doing here?! I thought he left!_

Movement in that area broke Oikawa from a trance; the corners of Hajime’s beautiful lips creeped upwards, directed right at the vampire as he continued to stare in awe.

Tooru flinched in surprise, and found himself breaming and grinning ear to ear back at Iwa-chan before turning forward and taking a step, leading Hanamaki to his future husband at the end of the runway.

 

_NOW I can focus on the wedding._

 

Matsukawa (and everyone else in attendance, for that matter) was unable to take his eyes off the stunning bride drifting down the aisle towards him, practically glowing like the moon above with how wide his smile was. The energy of the wedding shifted from one of anticipation to one of pure joy and happiness, even though the decorations surrounding them were dark and slightly sinister; with the way the bride and groom were looking at each other, there was no possible way anyone could insist that they were only together for a shared appreciation of gore, which neither zombie had anyway.

Iwaizumi was sure, no matter how close Oikawa had come to capturing the moment, his words could never beat reality.

The music only got louder the closer the pair got to the end of the road, and Tooru could feel his own palms beginning to sweat; Hanamaki was as laid-back as ever, though, and wouldn’t stop smiling at his husband-to-be. When they reached the end, he turned to his best friend and gave him a tight hug.

“Thanks again, Oikawa.” He whispered.

“You’re welcome, Makki.” Tooru smiled.

The pair parted for the last time, and faced the alter. Ushijima was standing there in all his glory, stern eyes staring down at the pair.

“Who gives this young man away?” He asked.

“I do.” The vampire answered firmly.

“Very well—Matsukawa, if you would please take the arm of your future bride after accepting him from Oikawa…”

Mattsun stepped down from his spot and gave Tooru a bone-crushing hug, mumbling another thanks as he did so; Oikawa stepped to the side and allowed the zombies to join arms and escort each other the rest of the way.

 

There was no pain in his heart as he watched the pair settle in front of Ushijima.

 

“We are gathered here on this beautiful Halloween night to share a night of love and appreciation with Hanamaki Takahiro, and Matsukawa Issei.” The priest began.

_Curse you and your great speaking voice, Ushiwaka!_

“On their behalf, I would like to thank you all for coming out this evening. Please join me in sending up a prayer for the couple: ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.’”

The priest continued the ceremony with more blessings and explanations of why this unification was taking place; Tooru listened with a bright smile on his face, and quite often, Iwaizumi found his eyes flickering over to the journalist, wondering what he was thinking at the moment. He definitely didn’t seem envious or jealous of his friends…if anything, he was relieved and at peace. Hajime felt bad for ever causing him a different emotion on the eve of Mattsun and Makki’s wedding day.

“Now, I understand you two have vows that you would like to exchange?”

Hanamaki and Matsukawa exchanged a weird smiled with each other, then gave Ushijima the same look; apparently that meant something, because the Gandolf-dressed priest gave a tiny shake of his head at himself and rephrased.

“I understand you have short passages you’d like to say to profess your undying love for each other?”

“Yes, we do.” Matsukawa confirmed.

“Very well.”

Hanamaki cleared his throat as everyone listened intently; Tooru had been kept out of the wedding ceremony details, so all of these weird sayings were new to him. Yahaba had almost _cried_ when he read the line-up.

“My dearest friend,” Makki said sweetly to his fiancé. “If you don’t mind…I’d like to join you by your side, where we can gaze into the stars…”

“And sit together, now and forever.” Mattsun continued. “For it is plain, as anyone can see,”

The couple joined together for the final verse.

“ _We’re simply meant to be_.”

 

“Is all of this ceremony pieced-together by quotes from Halloween movies?” Watari whispered to Yahaba.

“ _Yes_ …” The wedding planner yelped.

“What was that one from?” Kindaichi asked no one in particular.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Mad-Dog grumbled.

 

“We have established that these two souls were meant to be, and have now come together in marriage—we must hear it from the couple themselves, now. Tooru,” Ushijima started. “Do you—”

Oikawa about choked on his uvula as the stupid priest glanced down at his paper again, as if he read the names of the people who were _getting_ _married_ wrong the first time.

“Pardon me.” Wakatoshi corrected. “Do you, Issei Matsukawa, take Hanamaki as your bride?”

“Of course I do.” Mattsun smiled warmly.

“Hanamaki Takahiro—do you take Matsukawa as your husband?”

“I guess I do.” Makki shrugged.

The crowd laughed lightly as Kindaichi came forward with the rings.

“These rings shall bind you two together in the name of Skeleton Jack, for however long forever is, their purification will bring you back to each other, no matter the situation life throws at you. Matsukawa—if you would please slide this ring on Hanamaki’s finger.”

Iwaizumi couldn’t hide his smile as Mattsun took the teal diamond from Kindaichi and softly slid it onto his fiance’s ring finger, giving his hand a light squeeze after.

“Hanamaki—please place this ring on Matsukawa’s finger.”

Makki reached out and slid a dazzling teal ring on his husband’s thick finger, smiling as he did so.

“This wedding is almost bound for all of eternity,” Ushijima said. He reached out and pushed the couple’s hands apart. “Let the world know one final time, even when you are not physically bound: do you take each other to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, on the darkest Halloween nights, and the brightest Christmas mornings, for however long forever is?”

“We do.”

“Very well—if you would please sign this paper to create this marriage binding, we will go into the last part of the ceremony.”

Kindaichi came forward with the official marriage license, holding it out for both to write on with a quill; Tooru couldn’t see much, but he thought both of their hands were moving in weird directions—it took them half the time to write their names as it usually did, but he brushed it aside, because well…they were in the middle of a _wedding_ , here.

“As a final blessing for the married couple, Matsukawa and Hanamaki will recite a spell.” Ushijima announced. “If you two would please join hands again.”

Makki took his husband by the hands, holding onto them tightly as he started the first sentence of the spell.

“Powers of the sun.”

“And forces of the moon.”

“Become one in our quest,”

“To open the door to the Shadowlands.”

“Let our light shine in its eternal night,”

“And leave no corner untouched so that we may,”

“Vanquish our enemies from the shadows that hide them.”

 

Bokuto leaned over to whisper to Akaashi.

“Isn’t that from the movie _Twitches_?”

“You’ve _seen_ that movie, Bokuto-san?”

“ _No!_ I was just asking! _”_

Ushijima clapped his hands over the couple’s joined ones, sparkling orange powder over both of them.

“I now pronounce you, husband and husband.” He called out, pulling Makki’s veil back. “You may kiss the bride.”

 

The crowd immediately burst into cheers as Matsukawa pulled Hanamaki flush against his front side and laid a smiling, passionate kiss against his lips. At the same time, booming fireworks went off above them, shooting into the sky and erupting with colorful shapes and pixie dust, generously provided by Watari and Kunimi—a herd of black ravens were released behind the arch, and the beating of the feathers added to the excitement, the whoops and hollers of the guests as the birds coasted up to the dark night sky. Purple sparklers lit-up on the sides of the aisle, lighting the way for the married couple to find their way through the cheering crowd and back to the motel for the reception; the hill was loud with yells and cheers and chants, everyone joining in to celebrate with the happy couple.

 

But no one was clapping harder than Iwaizumi and Oikawa.

 

_~The Reception~_

 

Everyone settled into the dining hall excitedly, buzzing over the hilarious and heartfelt marriage ceremony; Suguru was anxious about his dinner, not knowing that hardly anyone cared about it, since the speeches were going to begin right as the wedding party sat down. Oikawa, after he managed to stop crying, searched for Iwaizumi among the wreckage as everyone was running joyfully to the motel, but he couldn’t spot anyone in a knight costume anywhere.

 _Maybe he already left_ , Tooru thought sadly, straightening his suit before sitting down. _Maybe he left right after the ceremony…_

“We’re going first, Tooru!” Makki teased, plopping down beside his friend at the long table. “We decided we want the spotlight for a _little_ bit longer.”

“I just can’t believe you’re married!!!” Oikawa shrieked, hugging Makki for the hundredth time that night. “You both looked so _amazing_ , and the ceremony was _perfect_ , and I can’t stop _crying_ , and—”

“ _Chill_ , Tooru!” Mattsun said as he sat beside his husband. “You can’t be crying the whole night! We’ve still got to do our first dance and the Trick Or Treat contest!”

“I know, I know…I just…I just love you guys so much!”

The vampire tugged the married couple into a hug again, and the guests began clanking their knives against the glasses; Hanamaki and Matsukawa stood-up with bright smiles, whispering to each other before taking the microphone from Atsumu Miya, who tried winking at Oikawa as he did so. For once, Tooru didn’t have a comeback—he was too wrapped-up in his own feelings to care about getting the last word.

 

“Hello, hello!” Hanamaki started, grabbing onto his husband’s hand. “We’d like to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for showing-up at this crazy night of a Halloween wedding—we really appreciate everyone going with the theme and wearing costumes to the ceremony, too, and we hope you’re all having as much fun as we are!”

The guests cheered and whooped in agreement as Matsukawa took the microphone.

“We’d like to shout-out some special gratitude to the people that helped make this wedding happen—Yahaba. We’re sorry for giving you so many heart attacks, and know that we appreciate each panic attack you had over the details of our gory wedding. Thanks for working so hard to make our day perfect. Love you man!”

Yahaba shook his head and covered his blushing face as Kyoutani snorted under his breath and clapped obnoxiously for the wedding planner.

“Secondly, we’d like to thank the best man over here.” Makki said, nudging the vampire with a smile. “I can’t describe how wonderful and reassuring it was having you around for the past month, Tooru—we won’t ever be able to repay you for the advice, the suggestions, the ideas, or really anything that you gave us in preparations for this wedding, but…just know that you mean a lot to us, and we don’t plan on abandoning you anytime soon.”

“We kind of like you a little bit,” Matsukawa shrugged with a grin. “And you’re fun to tease, so don’t go anywhere, okay?”

“Thanks, Tooru!”

The crowd clapped warmly for the journalist, who, despite all his confidence and crying, was now blushing madly as he gave a tiny wave to the guests. He really wanted to hug Hanamaki again, and the bride must have known, because he laughed and quickly swooped down to give him one.

“We’d like to thank one more person, if that’s alright with you guys.” Mattsun said when the crowd quieted down. Atsumu sat-up straighter in his chair; Osamu continued playing with his napkin, not caring enough to mock his twin’s confidence. “This person…was definitely a surprise to us. We were absolutely _shocked_ by his skills, his ability to fix things, his ability to get incredible things done within a short time period…where’s Iwaizumi at?”

 

Tooru jerked his head right to look out at the tables, eyes scanning wildly as everyone looked around the room; Yahaba motioned with his thumb, and Oikawa finally locked his teary gaze on the handsome knight himself, who was leaning against the wall in one of the darkest corners of the room. Someone (Kunimi, Tooru figured) turned one of the pumpkin lights so that the orange glow shone in his direction; those surprised brown eyes glanced upwards at all the people staring at him, and then found their way towards Mattsun and Makki.

 

“Iwaizumi—you’re the one who made all of these decorations.” Hanamaki said. “You’re the one who put them up, the one who made our wedding outfits in record time, the one who fixed whatever needed to be fixed, the one who helped whenever we needed help, the one who spent _hours_ upon _hours_ of his October preparing for some random couple’s freaky idea of a wedding…and for that, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

“We couldn’t have done any of this without you, Iwaizumi.” Matsukawa added sincerely.

“Thanks for all your hard work…and thanks for being such a great friend.”

 

The claps Iwaizumi received were overwhelmingly warm and loving; he had _never_ gotten such an appreciative look or thank-you from _anyone_ before, not even when the Miya twins didn’t own the motel. For all of these complete strangers to be thanking him for helping make their friend’s wedding so perfect…

Well—it was nothing short of amazing, and Hajime could hardly bare it.

 _I can’t cry_ , he told himself, nodding in acknowledgement as he smiled painfully. _I won’t cry…I won’t cry…_

“Thanks for coming everyone,” Matsukawa said. “We’ll hand the mic over to the best man, now. Lord knows what kind of lies he’s going to tell…”

 

Iwaizumi and Tooru both laughed at this very real joke, and the corpse locked his eyes onto the vampire as a single tear escaped from his eye. Oikawa stood-up and straightened his suit again while taking the mic from Hanamaki. He cleared his throat, and began his long-awaited speech.

 

“Well,” He sighed. “This has been one hell of a Halloween wedding, am I right?”

The guests yelled and cheered in response, making Tooru grin.

“Let’s start this speech from the very beginning: when I first met these two hooligans, we were all three sneaking into the new Star Wars movie. The very first thing said between us was said by Matsukawa, who looked down at Hanamaki’s empty hands, then back at the extra large popcorn bowl in my hands, _yanked_ the bowl from me, handed it to Makki, saying, ‘I think you need this more than he does.’”

Bokuto about choked on his own laughter, along with the rest of the crowd as Hanamaki cackled and leaned against his husband’s frame, the latter who was grinning wickedly.

“I really should have listened to my own advice when that happened…I should have ran as _fast_ as I could to another theater, to spare myself of being the third-wheel for the next twenty-two years of my life.”

Iwaizumi threw his head back and let out the loudest laugh he had ever produced.

“But I guess I did get some good things out of that experience.” Tooru smiled charmingly. “For the next few years or so, I got to watch these two lovebirds dance around each other, stumbling between friends, something _more_ than friends, something _much_ _much more_ than friends…it was more entertaining than any sitcom, I can tell you that.” He chuckled. “Eventually, I went on a few dates here and there, thinking it would free myself of being left-out of conversations, ignored in favor of Hanamaki, only to find out that the _same thing_ happened whenever I distanced myself from the happy almost-couple, no matter _who_ I went out with. I guess the lesson I learned was that no matter who I wanted to be, no matter what I was doing…I always found myself wanting to go back to Makki and Mattsun, even though they teased me _relentlessly_ for my love of aliens and all things supernatural.”

 

Hanamaki and Matsukawa smiled in remembrance as Tooru paused, collecting his next words as he stared down at his two friends.

 

“My feelings today were nothing short of perfect. I don’t think anyone other than the bride and groom themselves are happier than I am right now.” Oikawa said honestly. “Seeing them get married today really hit me—it made me realize how far we’ve all come as friends, how far they’ve come as a couple; they used to jokingly bicker about the _stupidest_ things, let me tell you…sometimes it was along the lines of whether or not aliens get premature wrinkles on their foreheads, or whether or not it was possible for vampires to explode if they drank too much blood, like…what the hell? Who talks about stuff like that?!”

The crowd was rolling at this point, with the exception of the Miya twins and Suguru, who kept watching like a hawk to see if anyone had tried his pudding yet.

“Anyway…I guess I’d have to say that I’m relieved tonight—relieved that Mattsun and Makki finally, after all these years, have officially made it clear that there is _no_ love-triangle between the tree of us. It took you long enough…my publicity’s been suffering for _years_ while you two have been sneaking around behind my back, going to _my_ vacation home—without _me_ , I might add! I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that, and that’s why I’m very relieved to see you two get married today. Despite my annoyance of your teasing, I really do love you guys like brothers, and I’m unmistakably happy for you, Makki and Mattsun.” Tooru smiled warmly. “I know you weren’t trying, but…your relationship, although you won’t hear me admit to this ever again…your relationship has kind of been the foundation for me. Your relationship was the one I always looked to in comparison to mine; if I was ever having second thoughts about who I was with, you guys were the ones I took example from. And none of mine ever matched-up to the love yours has, and has always had since the day Hanamaki finally got the guts to ask you out, Matsukawa.”

The laughs were softer this time, and Iwaizumi couldn’t take his eyes off Tooru as he noticed small tears forming in the journalist’s eyes.

“Whenever I…whenever I was in my room crying over _another_ failed relationship in my three-hundred years…I don’t think I was ever crying about losing that person. I was crying because…I knew I had failed.” Oikawa admitted, voice weakening. “I knew I hadn’t created what you guys had together. Each time I had a break-up, I would be so angry at myself for not making it work, because you two…you two were _always_ able to make things work, and you were always so _calm_ about _everything_ —it really did make me a bloody, envious vampire sometimes.”

Mattsun and Makki shared a wide-eyed look with each other; Tooru had never told them anything like this before…he hadn’t even commented on their relationship in the past few years or so, and to hear now, on their wedding night, that he was jealous of _their_ relationship? It was shocking, to say the least.

“So…I guess what I’m trying to say is that…someday, I hope I deserve a wedding planner as clever as Yahaba.” Oikawa laughed over his tears. “I hope someday I can find a flowerboy as cute as Kunimi for my wedding day. I hope I deserve to have great friends to help me with my wedding plans someday.”

 

Tooru’s chocolate brown eyes drifted out to the crowd, landing on Iwaizumi’s with no hesitation; Hajime stared back, unblinking, heart paused for a long, _long_ , terrifying moment as Oikawa took a quiet, shaky breath.

 

“I—I hope someday…I’ll deserve a man like Iwa-chan.” He said, laughing bashfully afterwards. “And lastly…I hope I’ll earn a love as great, as pure, and as everlasting as yours is, Makki and Mattsun. I used to think all I ever wanted out of life was to find love for myself, to settle down with someone who would love me forever, but now…I know that _this_ is what I really want. I want to see you two, my _best friends_ in the _entire world_ settled down, as happy as you can possibly become, together for all of eternity. That’s what I got tonight.” Tooru smiled. The tears were flowing freely now, and he didn’t care enough to stop them. “So…if you would all raise your glasses with me…”

The guests reached out and grabbed the glass with the steaming black liquid inside, the blood red cherry sitting on the very top; they raised them into the air, following Oikawa’s movements. Iwaizumi grabbed one of the drinks beside him and raised it higher than anyone else.

“To Hanamaki and Matsukawa,” The vampire sniffled with a smile so honest it made tears spring to everyone’s eyes. “May all your dreams and desires come true through one another, may your future be bright…and may the force be with you.”

Hanamaki burst into tears.

 

“Cheers!”

 

“Cheers!!!”

 

As the guests threw their drinks back, Makki threw his arms around Oikawa and sobbed into his suit, blubbering incoherent words along the lines of “I feel so bad now!” or something like that…Tooru didn’t understand, and thought Makki was just very emotional over his speech, so he hugged him back as tightly as possible and laughed against his skin when Matsukawa lifted both of them into the air when he joined the hug.

“Would the bride and groom please come to the center of the dancefloor for their first dance?” The DJ announced.

“You better go,” Tooru sniffled, unable to stop smiling as he leaned away from his friends. “The dance is one of the best parts, if I do say so myself.”

“Thanks Tooru,” Makki cried as his husband tugged him away. “I love you man!”

“Love you too, Hanamaki-chan!”

The couple hurried out to the dancefloor as the crowd sat with rapt attention; Oikawa glanced over to where Iwaizumi had last been standing, only to find the spot vacated. He was given no time to think or search for the corpse, however, because the room was suddenly filled with purple and orange smoke, covering all but the couple as the Corpse Bride music began to play through the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the newly married couple, Takahiro and Issei Matsukawa!!!”

The crowd whooped and cheered as Mattsun and Makki began sweeping across the dancefloor; the bride was still crying, but a smile was plastered on his lips, and the groom was grinning like no tomorrow.

“Tooru.”

Oikawa looked over excitedly, only to find Atsumu Miya standing beside him instead of Iwa-chan.

“May I have the first dance?” The vampire smiled sickly.

“Umm…I…I don’t think…”

 

Movement by the edge of the smoke caught Tooru’s attention; he looked over immediately, catching sight of a familiar teal color and shining armor.

 

“No thanks!” He called, jumping out of his seat. “Maybe next century!”

 

The journalist had never run to the other side of the room faster than he did right now, hurrying through people who had circled around the smoke to watch the couple through it, admiring the scene and envying the beauty of the Halloween wedding. _Where is he?_ Oikawa thought fearfully, desperately squinting through the smoke. _Where’s Iwa-chan? Where did he go?_

More movement—Tooru didn’t stop to look this time, and ran blindly into the orange smoke.

_He’s here…he’s here…he has to be here…I have to tell him. I have to tell him everything I feel about him. I have to find him._

_Please let me find him._

 

Oikawa stopped somewhere in the midst of the purple smoke; he couldn’t see anything within a foot in front or to the side of himself, much less, make out the shape of Iwaizumi. Panic began to set in. The speech had been perfect, he had even gotten shockingly emotional when he mentioned Iwaizumi—he _wouldn’t_ have left. Not after that. He would at least stay to tell Oikawa he didn’t love him, that he didn’t want anything to do—

 

“I didn’t know you could be so nice.”

 

Tooru heard that smooth, quiet, unwavering voice behind him, and slowly turned around; there was Iwaizumi, half a foot away, the smoke failing to hide his handsome features, his proud posture, that stupid spikey hair…

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa breathed so softly he could barely hear himself. “You’re still here.”

“Yeah,” Hajime nodded, eyes never leaving the vampire’s. “I wanted to tell you something. Well, I was going to tell you a bunch of times, but Hinata said I should wait until after the wedding…”

“Your pet werewolf told you that?” Tooru laughed over his on-coming tears.

Iwaizumi smiled, warming both of their hearts up.

“In a silent way, yeah.” He nodded. “But he forgot to mention the fact that vampires really _do_ have souls. He also forgot to mention how sensitive and real they can be.”

“That’s chibi-chan werewolves for you.”

The decaying corpse smiled again, prompting Tooru to step closer, right up against his chest, where he could feel Hajime’s heartbeat, steady and firm. They stood like that for a short moment, the journalist hovering a few inches taller than Iwa-chan, just becoming familiar with the other’s touch once again.

“I’m sorry,” Iwaizumi whispered against Oikawa’s nose. “I’m sorry it took me so long. My background doesn’t exactly provide the push I need to run towards someone who’s actually _willing_ to be so close to me…”

“Let’s not apologize,” Tooru sniffled. “Why am I _crying_ so much today?”

“It’s cute when you cry with joy.” Hajime said, not allowing himself to stop as he reached up to wipe one of the stray tears away. Oikawa’s cheek was so soft… “It makes me feel better about the decision I made a few minutes ago.”

 

The vampire looked back down at Iwaizumi, who was now struggling with his words, eyes flickering around Tooru’s face, trying to remember what he was feeling.

 

“I love you!” Oikawa cried suddenly.

Any ounce of sense left Hajime’s head, and he stood there, mouth open and gaping as the journalist shakily grabbed the corpse’s warm hands.

“I love talking to you, and teasing you, and teasing other people with you!” Tooru explained, smiling despite his tears. “I love how hard working you are, and I just really love being around you, Iwa-chan, and I love your bones, the scarred parts of your skin, because you have really beautiful skin, Iwa-chan, and I just really love you, okay?!”

The phrase was said a second time, snapping Iwaizumi out of his funk; he could suddenly feel the warmth of Tooru’s touch, and remembered the night he spent lying in Hajime’s bed, how he woke-up with drool and his fashionable hair mushed to the side of his head, and the time he wore his glasses—

“I always want to be with you.” The corpse blurted out.

Tooru’s eyes widened; Iwaizumi shook his head, finding his little ounce of courage buried deep inside the hole in his chest, and squeezed the cute alien-lover’s hands in return, stepping even closer, so close that their chests were together—he wanted Oikawa to feel how serious he was.

 

Because he had never felt anything like this before Oikawa Tooru arrived at the Candy Cemetery Motel.

 

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi said smoothly, the word like silk, making the vampire’s knees tremble. He looked deep into those big brown eyes as he spoke quietly, and seriously. “Would you mind very much if I spent half an eternity with you?”

Oikawa let out a tiny gasp as he smiled.

“What about the other half, Iwa-chan?”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to stand you for that long.”

Tooru, against all odds, laughed loudly at the response, making Hajime smile brightly for the third time that night. He threw his arms around his brave, daring knight and pulled him even closer, so that their lips were mere _inches_ apart.

“Silly Iwa-chan.” Oikawa whispered. “Don’t you want to be my knight forever?”

“Yes.” Iwaizumi admitted gently.

His hands released Tooru’s, and gently replaced the touch by taking the journalist’s face in his hands.

“I really do want to be your knight.”

“For all of eternity?” Tooru asked.

 

Hajime paused right as their lips ghosted against each other’s.

 

“I guess so, Crappykawa.”

 

Oikawa smiled, and as the smoke began to clear, and as the first dance song ended, Iwaizumi shared his first kiss with an alien-loving vampire, in front of two-hundred people he didn’t know, at the Halloween wedding of the century.

 

A long minute later, just as the pair broke apart, flushed and giddy over each other, their moment was interrupted by a yell of “Yeah yeah! Get some, Tooru!” generously provided by the groom, Matsukawa.

Before Atsumu could go on a rage spiral, Iwaizumi and Tooru were greeted by the married couple, who had finished their first dance short, just so they could peek a look at the new couple of the night.

“Aww, I thought I’d _never_ get to see you two together!” Hanamaki cooed, running over to investigate. “This is the best wedding _ever_!”

“I…I never thought my first kiss would be so public.” Iwaizumi mumbled shyly, hiding behind Tooru’s fluffy hair.

“You did perfectly, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa beamed, attitude revived now that he had gotten what he wanted. He squeezed the corpse’s cheeks together sweetly. “My big strong knight is already a great kisser!”

“D-Don’t be so embarrassing, Shittykawa!”

“You’d better get used to this, Iwaizumi.” Mattsun laughed. “You’re entering into a relationship with a dramatic, childish vampire boy. Well…I guess I should say _already_ entered into a relationship with a dramatic, childish vampire boy…”

“Oh yeah…” Makki said slowly, realizing something as Iwaizumi sighed and wrapped an arm around Oikawa’s waist. “We forgot to congratulate you guys!”

“Makki, don’t mock us!” Tooru whined, dramatically placing a hand on Hajime’s chest. “This is a new, beautiful relationship, and I won’t have you two teasing us all night!”

“He’s totally sincere, Oikawa.” Matsukawa laughed. He offered a hand to Iwaizumi, who stared at it in confusion. “I’d like to be the first to say, congratulations on your marriage, Iwaizumi-kun.”

 

For a long, painfully hilarious moment, Tooru and Iwaizumi stared at each other, trying to figure out if they were hallucinating, or if the married couple had gone insane.

 

“Makki…I thought you said the punch only had a _little_ zip of vodka in it?”

“It does! We’re being completely serious, _Mrs. Iwaizumi_.”

“Makki, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!”

Hanamaki grinned over at his husband, who smirked right back.

“Consider this payback for stealing the engagement ring an hour before I was going to propose.” Matsukawa said, giving a short explanation.

“What?!” Tooru cried, not understanding. “What do you mean, _payback_?!”

“On the night Matsukawa had that weird little thing where he wasn’t sure if he wanted to get married, we decided this was the perfect opportunity to get back at you for almost ruining the engagement.” Makki explained with a smile. “So, we went the Ghoulville that night, officially got married, and had the wedding tonight! That’s why Ushijima kept messing-up the names.”

“But…but…”

“If you got married then…” Iwaizumi thought with horror. “Then that means tonight, you…you…you put _o-our_ names…”

 

Oikawa finally caught-up to the situation.

“OH MY _GOD_!!!!!! _MAKKI_!!!!!!!!!”

 

“May I have your attention, please!” The DJ interrupted before the bride could be murdered. “It is now time for the Trick Or Treat wedding gift contest to begin! Whoever gathers the most candy or the best gift in the neighboring village of Ghoulville for the bride and groom wins a lucky rabbit’s foot! Everyone is to report back here at midnight to decide the winners—good luck, and have a Happy Halloween!”

“Makki!” Tooru cried, actual tears this time. “I can’t believe this!!! How could you _do_ that to me?! You know I’ve always wanted a real wedding, not some slingshot elopement that I didn’t even know about!!!”

“You can have your wedding!” Hanamaki assured his friend, giving him a useless pat on the back. “You’ll thank us someday, I’m sure of it— _Mrs. Iwaizumi_.”

“Come back here!!!” Oikawa yelled as the married couple retreated. “Come b—”

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi said, grabbing onto his arm. “Just calm down, w—”

“Calm down?! Iwa-chan, they married us without our permission! I mean, it’s probably not binding, since we didn’t sign the papers ourselves, but still, Ushiwaka probably considers it a real marriage, which is _bad_ , because we literally _just_ professed our feelings for each other, and we’re supposed to take things slow, because th—”

“Shut up!” Hajime ordered, clamping a hand over his husband’s mouth. “You’re so dramatic! You’re acting like marrying me is a ritual of black magic or something!”

“ _Now_ who’s being dramatic?”

“Um…Oikawa-san?”

The married couple glanced over at Yahaba, who was nervously twiddling with his fingers beside them.

“We’re all going to the Trick Or Treat contest now…are you coming with?” He asked cautiously.

 

Oikawa felt his heart rate slowing down as he looked back to Iwaizumi. The corpse looked back evenly, lips still pink from their first kiss…with that reminder making his own lips tingle, Tooru couldn’t possibly be upset. Well, maybe later, but not right now.

 

“Yes,” The vampire said. “We’re coming, Yahaba-chan.”

“Okay! See you there!”

As the room cleared-out, all of the guests hurrying out to find the best Trick Or Treating spots, Oikawa and Iwaizumi faced each other quietly, taking a moment to reflect on what a wild night this Halloween was. The decaying corpse couldn't believe his luck, on HALLOWEEN NIGHT. Who gets lucky on Halloween night?! He was leaving his enslavement forever, and with possibly the love of his life...

What a happy Halloween this was.

“So…are we leaving or what?” Hajime asked, a small smile on his lips.

“Yeah…but you’re going to have to take the knight costume off,” Tooru said, leading his husband to the front door. “It’s distracting me way too much.”

“That’s why you bought it, right?”

“No! I bought it because you’re my knight in shining armor, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi snorted lightly, and creeped his left hand over to Oikawa’s, lacing their fingers together gently as they exited the motel together; surprised, the journalist looked over at the corpse. His expression didn’t give an explanation, but Tooru could tell that this was a big step for them.

Never missing an opportunity, the vampire ran his pinky across the bone of Iwaizumi’s, eliciting that beautiful smile from the corpse, who tugged them forward, down the front steps of the Candy Cemetery Motel.

“Come on,” He said. “We’ve got a contest to win.”

“Yay! My knight in shining armor will bring home the prize for me!”

“You’re helping, you know. I’ve been doing the work in this relationship for the past month.”

“Rude! And so _not_ true!”

 

Iwaizumi and Tooru both laughed, and began jogging when they hit the bottom of the staircase; Hajime smiled over at the journalist happily, and the action was returned.

For once, the decaying corpse saw nothing but brightness in midst of the darkest shadows.

 

“Happy Halloween, Oikawa.”

 

“Happy Halloween, Iwa-chan!”

 

_The End._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DID ITTTTTTTT!!! This may or may not be the greatest thing I have ever written. I hope you enjoyed the ride, and I must say I LOVE the final chapter. (even tho I edited it only half a time) Thanks so much for reading!!!!!  
> IWAOIIIIIIII  
> (Also, stay tuned for my prostitute/policeman AU, another IWAOI and Matsuhana and (insert Kindaichi/Kunimi ship name here) It'll be GREAT


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